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Broccoli Salad

A salad of broccoli, onion, cheddar cheese, bacon, and a dressing of sugar, mayonnaise, and vinegar.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and broccoli match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,294 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp; drain well on paper towels.

  2. Break broccoli into small pieces.

Dress and toss

  1. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over broccoli, onion, cheese and bacon; mix well.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

385Calories
21 gProtein
19 gFat
35 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

  1. Onion + broccolitop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Broccoli + cheddar cheesetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together447 recipes

    Shared aroma: hexyl acetate (fruity, apple).

  3. Onion + cheddar cheesetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,669 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Broccoli + vinegartop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,286 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,226 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

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

What each ingredient does

Broccoli
Provides the main body and crisp texture of the salad.
Bacon
Adds savoury, smoky flavour and crunch from its rendered, crisped fat.
Cheddar cheese
Adds salty, savoury richness and fat that complements the dressing.
Mayonnaise
Supplies creamy fat and moisture that coats the broccoli and binds the dressing.
Sugar
Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and cuts through the fat.

The step that matters

Drain the bacon well. Bacon left with excess rendered fat will make the dressing greasy and thin it, so the mayonnaise coating will not cling properly to the broccoli.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (broccoli, cheddar cheese, sugar, vinegar):

  1. Mustardfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Cucumberfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against broccoli, cheddar cheese, sugar, vinegar. 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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