Why it works: Onion and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,626 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Poor Man's Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mix well and press onto cookie sheet.
Chill overnight to set.
Cut in squares.
Brown
Roll in flour and brown both sides.
Bake
Place in baking dish.
Pour soup over meat mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Cracker | 5 saltine crackers (15g) | 66 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | 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 + mushroomtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,626 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + mushroomtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hamburger
- Forms the main body of the loaf and provides the meaty texture and browning.
- Cracker crumbs
- Absorb liquid and help bind the meat so the loaf holds its shape.
- Mushroom soup
- Adds moisture and savory flavor as it bakes over the meat.
- Chopped onion
- Adds aromatic flavor and a soft texture when cooked into the loaf.
The step that matters
Chill overnight to set. Chilling firms the fat and binders so the meat mixture holds its shape when cut and browned. Skipping it can leave squares that crumble in the pan.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, mushroom):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, mushroom. 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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