Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Chili Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Scald, skin, and seed the tomatoes.
In a pot, combine the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, sugar, onions, and green peppers.
Cook the mixture over medium heat until thick.
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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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Red tomatoes
- Provide the main body and flavor base of the sauce as they break down.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavor and helps preserve the sauce.
- Sugar
- Balances the acidity and adds sweetness while aiding thickening through reduction.
- Onions
- Contribute savory depth and body as they soften into the sauce.
- Green peppers
- Add vegetable flavor and texture to the sauce.
The step that matters
Cook the mixture over medium heat until thick. Sauce thickens only as water evaporates during gentle simmering. Heat that is too high can scorch the sugar and tomato solids on the bottom of the pot, while stopping too early leaves the sauce thin.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, vinegar, sugar, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, vinegar, sugar, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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