Why it works: Onion and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and 20,633 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the butter with the peppercorns, onion, salt, and clove until slightly browned.
Add the flour and cook until well browned.
Gradually pour in the tomatoes while stirring constantly.
Bring to a boil, then strain the sauce and reheat.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Clove + tomatotop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3,474 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Onion + clovetop 13% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together16,901 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and its browning builds a nutty, savory flavor base.
- Flour
- Thickens the sauce when cooked with the butter, forming a roux that gives body.
- Stewed and strained tomatoes
- Provide the main liquid and tomato flavor, and set the sauce's body as they combine with the roux.
The step that matters
Adding the tomatoes gradually while stirring. Pouring the tomatoes in slowly while stirring constantly lets the roux disperse evenly into the liquid. Dumping them in at once can leave lumps of flour that are hard to smooth out.
Flavor stand-ins for the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, onion, flour, tomato):
- Garlicbetter flavor fit
- Capersbetter flavor fit
- Thymebetter flavor fit
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, onion, flour, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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