Why it works: Pepper and beef 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 ↓
Plank Steak, Pan Broiled
Ingredients
Directions
Sear the steak
Heat a frying pan without adding fat.
Cook the steak quickly, turning it as soon as it is browned.
Reduce the heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until done.
Make the pan sauce and serve
Transfer the steak to a platter.
Add water and beef drippings to the pan and bring to a boil.
Pour over the steak.
Season with salt and pepper.
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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Pepper + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Steak
- The main protein, browned on the outside as it cooks through.
- Beef drippings
- Fat that carries flavor and helps the pan sauce brown and taste rich.
The step that matters
Cook the steak quickly in a dry, hot pan. High heat browns the surface through the Maillard reaction while limiting how long the inside cooks. Turning it once browned keeps the crust even. If the pan is not hot enough, the steak releases moisture, steams and turns grey.
“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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