Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Chili Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
Boil for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Pour into jars while hot and seal.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Form the bulk of the sauce and provide its main liquid and acidity.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, as it cooks down, helps thicken the sauce and preserve it.
- Onions
- Add savory depth and body as they soften during the long boil.
- Peppers
- Supply the chili flavour and heat that define the sauce.
The step that matters
Boil for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. A long simmer lets excess water evaporate so the sauce thickens. Stirring prevents the sugar and solids from scorching on the bottom of the pot.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, pepper, sugar, clove, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Sweet potatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, pepper, sugar, clove, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. 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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