Name: Economy Mince Meat
Ingredients: 1 lb lean beef, cooked and ground fine; ½ lb uncooked suet, ground fine; 1 lb seeded raisins; 1 lb thoroughly cleaned currants; ½ lb citron, ground fine; 10 medium-sized apples, peeled and chopped; 1 ½ cups dark molasses; 5 cups brown sugar; 2 cups vinegar; 2 teaspoons nutmeg; 1 teaspoon cloves; 3 teaspoons cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ginger; 1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt

Why it works: Raisin and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,377 recipes. Both carry alpha-terpineol, which smells lilac, floral. The science ↓

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.

Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,377 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,180 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,225 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Currant + appletop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together1,918 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,577 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef: Provides the meaty body and savoury richness that traditional mincemeat is built on.
Suet: Adds fat that gives the filling a moist, rich mouthfeel.
Raisins: Contribute sweetness, chewy texture and moisture to the filling.
Apples: Add moisture, body and tartness that balances the sugars.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and helps preserve the mixture while it keeps.
Molasses: Adds deep sweetness, colour and a robust caramel flavour.

The step that matters

Boiling the mixture. Boiling for the stated time brings the mixture to a temperature that helps it keep, while the sugar and vinegar help limit spoilage. Stirring prevents scorching on the base of the pan, which would give a burnt taste.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, raisin, apple, molasses, sugar, vinegar, nutmeg):

Figfits better
Pearfits better
Orangefits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, raisin, apple, molasses, sugar, vinegar, 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.

Economy Mince Meat