Name: Mince Meat
Ingredients: 3 heaping bowls chopped beef (from the round); 6 heaping bowls chopped apples (greenings if possible); 3 lbs seeded raisins; ½ lb chopped suet; 2 bowls brown sugar; 3 large cups molasses; 6 tablespoons cinnamon; 4 tablespoons cloves; 3 tablespoons allspice; 3 grated nutmegs; 3 cups sweet pickle juice (from green tomatoes is best); 2 lemons (juice and grated rind); 2 to 3 teaspoons salt; vinegar (if necessary)

Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. 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.

Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together7,874 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,536 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,390 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,598 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Chopped beef: Provides the meaty body and bulk that the mincemeat is built around.
Chopped apples: Adds moisture, tartness and body that balances the sugar and spices.
Seeded raisins: Contribute chewy texture and concentrated sweetness.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and helps preserve the mixture while it cooks.
Molasses: Adds dark color, deep flavor and extra sweetness.
Chopped suet: Adds richness and fat, giving a moist, smooth mouthfeel.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, raisin, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, clove, allspice):

Figfits better
Orangefits better
Vanillafits better
Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, raisin, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, 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.