Why it works: Beef and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,971 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
To Roast Beef
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Heat a pan on the stove until hot.
Sear the beef in the hot pan on all sides, using a fork to turn it.
Place the beef on a rack in the pan.
Sprinkle the beef with flour.
Season the beef with salt and pepper.
Add drippings to the pan if available; do not add water.
Roast and rest
Roast in the hot oven for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat.
Baste often with the fat in the pan.
Roast for 10 minutes per pound for rare, or 15 minutes per pound for well done.
Let the beef rest before carving into thin slices across the grain.
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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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Beef + flourtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together10,677 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Beef and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 10,677 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
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Its fat streaks baste the meat from within and the cut sets the texture of the slices.
- Flour
- A light dusting helps the surface brown and form a crust.
- Drippings
- Rendered fat from the pan adds flavour and helps basting keep the surface moist.
The step that matters
Searing the beef on all sides. Searing in a very hot pan browns the surface through the Maillard reaction, building flavour and a crust. Turning with a fork rather than piercing the meat keeps juices inside, so the roast stays moist.
“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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