Bean Soup

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. Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together16,012 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

2. Beans + celerytop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,159 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

3. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together17,092 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

4. Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,518 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

5. Beans + oniontop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together5,242 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Beans

Form the body of the soup and thicken it as they break down during long simmering.

Beef soup bone

Adds meaty flavor and richness to the broth during the long simmer.

Onions

Add savory sweetness and aroma to the broth as they cook down.

Celery

Adds aromatic, savory background flavor to the broth.

Swap the beans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, onion, celery, pepper):

1. Beansthe original
2. Black-eyed peafits about as well
3. Sesamefits about as well
4. Lentilsfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, onion, celery, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.