Mince Meat

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.

1. Apple + cidertop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,238 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

2. Currant + cidertop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together500 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

3. Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together6,180 recipes

   Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).

4. Apple + curranttop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together1,918 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

5. Apple + raisintop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,920 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

What each ingredient does

Apples

Provide the bulk of the filling and a tart, fruity flavor.

Suet

Adds fat that gives the mixture richness and a moist texture.

Raisins

Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture.

Currants

Add small pops of tart, concentrated fruit flavor.

Boiled cider

Adds concentrated apple flavor and acidity, along with moisture.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, meat, raisin, currant, cider, sugar):

1. Figfits better
2. Plumfits better
3. Pearfits better
4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against apple, meat, raisin, currant, cider, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.