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
Ingredients
Directions
Fill a wide-mouthed bottle with fresh basil leaves.
Cover the leaves with vinegar.
Seal the bottle tightly and place it in the sun for 8 to 10 days, shaking occasionally.
Strain the mixture and decant the liquid.
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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