Why it works: Sugar and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Tomatoes, Pickled
Ingredients
Directions
If tomatoes are small, leave them whole; if large, slice them into ¼ inch thick pieces.
Ensure the tomatoes are ripe.
If using the first method, cook for 30 minutes after the water in the outer pan boils.
If using the second method, simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
For a smoother texture, pass the mixture through a fine sieve if desired.
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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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Tomato + cinnamontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,348 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Tomato + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,063 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vinegar + cinnamontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,187 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the cinnamon
The recipe marks cinnamon as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, sugar, vinegar):
- Garlicfits about as well
- Cinnamonthe original
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Corianderfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, sugar, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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