Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the tomatoes
Wipe the tomatoes.
Remove thin slices from the stem end of the tomatoes.
Take out the seeds and pulp.
Sprinkle the inside with salt.
Invert the tomatoes.
Let the tomatoes stand for 30 minutes.
Make the filling
In a pan, cook butter and onion for 5 minutes.
Add chicken or veal, bread crumbs, tomato pulp, salt, and pepper. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes.
Stir in the beaten egg. Cook for 1 minute.
Fill and bake
Refill the tomatoes with the mixture.
Place the tomatoes in a buttered pan.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with buttered cracker crumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,031 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Form the shell that holds the filling and softens into a juicy base when baked.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps the onion soften and the crumbs brown.
- Cooked chicken or veal
- Provides the main filling body and savory flavor.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and give the filling a light, soft body.
- Egg
- Binds the filling so it holds its shape when spooned into the tomatoes.
The step that matters
Stir in the beaten egg and cook briefly. The egg sets with gentle heat. Cooking it too long can make the filling dry or rubbery, while too little leaves it loose and unbound.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, butter, chicken, bread, pepper, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, butter, chicken, bread, pepper, egg. 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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