Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Moravian-style Sauerkraut
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the kraut
Drain juice from kraut.
With kraut still in bag, add tap water.
Pour kraut and water into a saucepan and heat over a low flame.
Add the bacon, onion and potato
Fry bacon, crumble and add to kraut, saving fat for onion.
Saute onion in fat till soft and add to kraut.
Add potato to kraut.
Simmer and finish
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Make a roux by adding flour to bacon fat.
If too sour, add 1 tsp sugar to kraut.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Sauerkraut | not in our table | 0 |
| Caraway Seed | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Caraway + flourtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,435 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Potato + carawaytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together115 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-decenal (green, must).
-
Onion + carawaytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together301 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Potato + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,355 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sauerkraut
- Forms the main body of the dish and supplies its sour, tangy flavour.
- Bacon
- Its rendered fat cooks the onion and flavours the whole pot with smoky richness.
- Onion
- Softened in bacon fat, it adds sweetness and a mellow aroma that balances the sourness.
- Potato
- Grated potato releases starch as it cooks, helping to thicken and body the liquid.
- Flour
- Cooked in bacon fat as a roll, it thickens the cooking liquid into a smooth sauce.
- Caraway seeds
- Contribute a warm, earthy aroma that is traditional in this dish.
The step that matters
Making the roux with the bacon fat. Flour must be stirred into the fat so it coats evenly; this prevents lumps and lets the starch thicken the liquid smoothly. Cooking the flour in fat also removes its raw, pasty taste.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, caraway, flour):
- Chivefits better
- Beetrootfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, caraway, flour. 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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