Why it works: Olive and cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 3,530 recipes mention both. Both carry methyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells apple, fatty. The science ↓
The recipe
4 burgersIngredients
Contains: milk, soy, fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Mix the ground beef sirloin, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, sea salt and garlic powder gently in a bowl. Shape into 4 even patties and make a slight dip in the center of each.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sweet onion and cook, stirring, 5 to 6 minutes until soft and browned. Move to a plate.
Stir together the buffalo wing sauce, barbeque sauce and additional ketchup in a small bowl to make a sauce. Set aside half for serving.
Heat the remaining olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties 4 to 5 minutes per side, brushing the tops with a little of the sauce, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C).
Sprinkle the grated Asiago cheese over the patties during the last minute of cooking and cover the pan briefly so the cheese melts.
Warm the cooked bacon slices in a small pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until heated through.
Toast the split hamburger buns cut side down in the skillet or a dry pan for about 1 minute until lightly golden.
Build each burger on a bottom bun with a patty, onions, bacon and a spoonful of the reserved sauce. Add the top bun and serve warm.
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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Olive + cheesetop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,530 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).
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Sauce + ketchuptop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,099 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Garlic + olivetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Beef + oniontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,091 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
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, sauce, buffalo, pepper, olive, onion, ketchup):
- Garlicthe original
- Celeryabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, sauce, buffalo, pepper, olive, onion, ketchup. 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).
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