Name: Glazed Carrots with CayenneGlazed Carrots with Cayenne
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 2 pounds carrots (4-5 large carrots), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices; 6 tablespoons butter, softened; 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; pinch cayenne pepper

Why it works: Carrot and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,555 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Glazed Carrots with CayenneGlazed Carrots with Cayenne

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 pounds carrots (4-5 large carrots), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

184Calories

1 gProtein

12 gFat

20 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By biggirlssmallkitchen. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,555 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Carrot + buttertop 24% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,083 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Carrot + sugartop 28% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,211 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the carrot

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, pepper):

Capsicumfits better
Potatofits about as well
Sweet potatofits about as well
Carrotthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The 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.