Why it works: Mushroom and shallot are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,982 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Another Way to Pickle Mushrooms
Ingredients
Directions
Clean the mushrooms thoroughly.
Place them in a jar and cover with vinegar.
Add a little salt, white pepper, and allspice.
Boil in a water bath or on a hot plate until the mushrooms are tender.
Before bottling, add a few shallots.
Seal the jar tightly once cooled.
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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Mushroom + shallottop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,982 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Allspice + shallottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together386 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vinegar + shallottop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,374 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
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White pepper + allspicetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together272 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mushroom, vinegar, allspice, shallot):
- Thymefits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Clovefits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mushroom, vinegar, allspice, shallot. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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