Why it works: Cabbage and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,924 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Cold Slaw
Ingredients
Directions
Slice the cabbage very finely.
In a bowl, combine the sugar, salt, and vinegar.
Dress the sliced cabbage with the mixture.
Alternatively, serve with French dressing or cooked mayonnaise dressing.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Cabbage + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,924 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Cabbage + sugartop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,037 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cabbage
- Forms the crisp, bulky body of the slaw, and its fine slicing gives a tender-crisp texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and slightly softens the cabbage as it dresses.
The step that matters
Slice the cabbage very finely. Fine slicing creates many cut edges that absorb the dressing and give a tender-crisp texture. Thick pieces stay tough and dressing pools on top instead of soaking in.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, vinegar):
- Mustardfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, vinegar. 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.
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