Steak Imperial

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. Beef + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,232 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

2. Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together12,525 recipes

   Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

3. Mushroom + ricetop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,515 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

4. Red wine + appletop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together148 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

5. Red wine + mushroomtop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together720 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (smoky, clove).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef sirloin steak

Provides the main protein, which browns in butter to develop savory flavor.

Mushroom gravy

Adds moisture and savory body to the sauce as it simmers.

Currant or tart red jelly

Adds sweetness and acidity that balance the savory gravy and marinade.

Cooking apples

Soften during simmering while keeping some tartness and shape.

Green peppers

Add crisp-tender texture and a fresh, slightly bitter note.

The step that matters

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (red wine, beef, butter, mushroom, apple, pepper, rice):

1. Plumfits better
2. Grapefits better
3. Mangofits better
4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against red wine, beef, butter, mushroom, apple, pepper, rice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.