Why it works: Vinegar and pepper 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 ↓
Chili Vinegar
Ingredients
Directions
Make the chili vinegar
Cut chilies in half or pound them.
Infuse chilies in vinegar for two weeks.
Add cayenne pepper if desired.
Serve
Use as a relish for fish.
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.
-
Vinegar + peppertop 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
- Fresh chilies
- Provide the heat and flavor that the vinegar extracts during infusion.
- Vinegar
- Acts as the solvent that draws out the chilies' flavor and heat over time.
- Cayenne pepper
- Adds extra heat and pungency to the infused vinegar, if desired.
The step that matters
Cut or pound the chilies before infusing. Breaking the chili flesh and skins exposes more surface area to the vinegar, so heat and flavor extract more fully during the two-week infusion.
“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.
You might also like
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Sugar Vinegar20 recipes
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.