Name: Mince Meat
Ingredients: 2 quarts chopped meat; 4 quarts chopped apples; 1 quart molasses; 1 quart sugar; 1 pound raisins; 1 pound citron (or less); 3 quarts cider; 1 tablespoon cloves; 1 tablespoon allspice; 1 tablespoon cinnamon; 4 nutmegs; 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt (formerly 'bay salt'); Juice of 3 lemons

Why it works: Clove and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together7,874 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Apple + cidertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,238 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,774 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,070 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Raisin + allspicetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,475 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chopped meat: Provides the savory body and rich, meaty flavor that the sweet fruit and spices balance.
Chopped apples: Add moisture and tartness, and soften as they cook, helping the mixture become thick and cohesive.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, deep dark color, and a robust caramel-like flavor as it heats.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps preserve the mixture by binding up free water.
Raisins: Contribute concentrated sweetness and chewy texture that stands out against the softer apples.
Cider: Supplies the main liquid, carrying the spices and dissolving the sugars through the mixture.

The step that matters

Scalding the mixture for 3 hours. Molasses, sugar and fruit scorch easily on the base of a pot. Keep the heat moderate and stir regularly so the sugars caramelize gently and the mixture thickens evenly without burning.

Swap the raisin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, apple, molasses, sugar, cider, clove, allspice):

Figfits better
Pearfits better
Quincefits about as well
Raisinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against meat, apple, molasses, sugar, cider, clove, allspice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Mince Meat