Name: Consomme
Ingredients: 10 cups of consomme; 10 cups of cream of tomato; 10 cups of cream of celery; 15 cups of ox tail; 1 cup of mock turtle

Why it works: Tomato and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,377 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Consomme

Ingredients

Directions

Combine the consommé, cream of tomato, cream of celery, ox tail, and mock turtle in a large pot.
Heat over medium until warmed through, stirring occasionally.
Serve hot in cups.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,377 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Cream + celerytop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,863 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
Cream + tomatotop 32% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,034 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Consommé: Provides the clear, savory broth that forms the liquid base of the soup.
Cream of tomato: Adds tomato flavor, a touch of acidity, and a smooth, thickened body.
Cream of celery: Adds celery flavor and a creamy body to the soup.
Ox tail: Contributes rich, meaty flavor and body from its collagen as it simmers.