Why it works: Olive and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,297 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓
Celery Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the celeriac
Wash the celeriac roots and boil them until tender.
While still hot, carefully peel and scrape the roots, removing all pithy parts.
Slice the roots and place them in a bowl.
Dress and serve
Pour the olive oil and heated vinegar over the sliced roots.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then shake the bowl to mix well.
Allow the salad to cool rapidly and serve cold.
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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Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Celeriac roots
- Form the main body of the salad and provide its texture and mild flavour.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat and richness, carrying flavour across the sliced roots.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and sharpens the dressing.
The step that matters
Peel and scrape while hot. Celeriac is easiest to peel and scrape while still warm, because heat softens the flesh and loosens the skin. Removing all pithy parts matters because they are fibrous and bitter, and they spoil the texture of the finished salad.
“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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