Why it works: Pepper and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Cayenne Vinegar
Ingredients
Directions
Place cayenne pepper into a bottle.
Pour pale vinegar over the pepper.
Cork the bottle tightly and shake well every 2 to 3 days.
Let it infuse for 2 weeks to 12 months before using.
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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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cayenne pepper
- Provides the heat and pepper flavour that the vinegar draws out over time.
- Pale vinegar
- Extracts the pepper's flavour and heat while acting as the preserving liquid.
The step that matters
Shaking the bottle every 2 to 3 days. Regular shaking keeps the pepper submerged and in contact with the vinegar, so extraction is even. Vinegar is acidic and pulls out the capsaicin and flavour compounds slowly, so a sealed, undisturbed bottle infuses unevenly.
“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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