Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the tomatoes, sliced onion, parsley, water, pepper, and salt in a saucepan.
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a sieve.
Blend the corn flour with the milk and add to the strained mixture.
Boil for 7 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,099 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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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 + parsleytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,398 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
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main flavour and body of the soup as they break down during simmering.
- Onion
- Adds savoury depth and sweetness as it softens into the simmering liquid.
- Corn flour
- Thickens the strained soup into a smooth, body-rich consistency when boiled.
- Milk
- Adds richness and a softer, creamier texture to the finished soup.
The step that matters
Boil the thickened soup while stirring. Corn flour thickens as it heats, but its starch settles and scorches on the base of the pan if not stirred, so constant stirring keeps the soup smooth and prevents burning.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, parsley, milk, corn, flour, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Okrafits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, parsley, milk, corn, flour, pepper. 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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