Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 17,923 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
French Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove the skins from the tomatoes and halve them.
Arrange the halved tomatoes on a platter or flat glass dish almost smothered in chopped ice.
Dress and serve
In a separate bowl, mix the light brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper to create the dressing.
Pour some dressing over the tomatoes just before serving to maintain their flavor.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Tomato + vinegartop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,063 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + peppertop 32% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together19,401 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and pepper share little aroma chemistry, yet 19,401 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body, juice and fresh tomato flavor of the salad.
- Light brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and a molasses-like depth that balances the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the dressing and cuts the sweetness.
The step that matters
Dressing just before serving. Salt and sugar draw water out of tomatoes, so dressing added too early thins into a watery pool and the tomatoes soften. Adding it at the last moment keeps the tomatoes firmer and the dressing's flavor bright.
“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.
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