Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Clam Chowder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Run the clams through a meat chopper very finely and the vegetables coarsely.
Cook
In a large pot, combine the chopped clams, corn, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and salt pork.
Cook for three hours, adding water as necessary to make 2 gallons of chowder.
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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Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Corn + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together938 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Tomato + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + porktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,668 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Corn + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,099 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Clams
- Provide the main seafood flavor and body of the chowder.
- Potatoes
- Thicken the broth slightly as they break down and add starchy body.
- Salt pork
- Renders fat that carries savory flavor through the long simmer.
- Onions
- Build a sweet, savory aromatic base as they soften during cooking.
- Tomatoes
- Add acidity and brightness that balance the rich clams and pork.
The step that matters
Adding water during the three-hour cook. Water must be added as needed so the chowder reaches the full 2 gallons without scorching on the bottom of the pot while the starchy vegetables break down over long simmering.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clam, corn, tomato, potato, pork, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against clam, corn, tomato, potato, pork, pepper. 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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