Why it works: Sugar and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,806 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
To Preserve Fruits and Other Vegetable Substances with Sugar, Salt, and Vinegar
Ingredients
Directions
Use an enamelled stew-pan for preserving and pickling.
Employ wooden or silver spoons and skimmers.
Ensure all vessels are very clean to maintain flavor.
Keep preserves in a dry, cool place.
Do not let the preserving pan touch the fire; use a trivet or protector.
Skim preserves well and stir constantly, starting gently and increasing speed.
Simmer unripe fruits in water or thin syrup until tender, adding more sugar to the syrup as needed.
For ripe fruits, simmer without water, using one-third of the intended sugar.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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