Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the beans
Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain well.
Dress and serve
In a large bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
Add the onions, green olives, and hot beans and toss until coated. Serve immediately.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Green Beans | 1 cup (100g) | 31 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Lemon + olivetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,922 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,779 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Green beans + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together226 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Green beans + lemontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together61 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green beans
- Form the main body of the salad and carry the dressing.
- Oil
- Adds fat that carries flavour and gives the dressing a smooth coating.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the oil.
- Sweet white onions
- Add sharp, mild onion flavour and crisp texture to the salad.
- Stuffed green olives
- Add salty, briny flavour that contrasts with the sweet onions.
The step that matters
Toss the onions and olives with the hot beans. Tossing while the beans are still hot lets them absorb the dressing better, so the salad is evenly coated and flavourful rather than oily on the surface.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (green beans, lemon, pepper, olive):
- Tomatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Broccolifits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against green beans, lemon, pepper, olive. 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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