Why it works: Raisin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Raisin Vinegar
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mash
Lay the raisins and stalks in a tub and let them heat for 3 to 4 days.
Add 8 gallons of nearly boiling water to the raisins.
Beat the mash and stir it often for 48 hours.
Ferment and age
Strain and press the raisins, then put the liquid into a barrel.
Add a little yeast to the barrel and let it ferment.
Once fermentation is over, cover the bung hole with a piece of tile or slate and place it in a warm spot until the vinegar is ready.
Store the vinegar in a cool place.
If the vinegar is not clear, mix in a solution of isinglass and let it settle before sealing.
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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Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raisins
- Provide the sugars and flavour that ferment into the vinegar.
- Yeast
- Starts the fermentation that converts the sugars into alcohol.
- Isinglass solution
- Helps fining, settling suspended particles so the vinegar becomes clear.
The step that matters
Covering the bung hole during fermentation ends. Vinegar needs air to convert alcohol into acetic acid, but the bacteria that make it are sensitive to conditions. Sealing the bung hole with tile or slate limits contamination and spoilage while the vinegar matures.
“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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