Why it works: Basil and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,613 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Basil Vinegar or Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Fill a wide-mouthed bottle with fresh green leaves of Sweet Basil.
Cover the leaves with vinegar or wine.
Let the mixture steep for 10 days.
For a stronger essence, strain the liquid, add fresh leaves, and steep for an additional 14 days.
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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Basil + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,613 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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