Name: Sour Cream Potato Salad
Ingredients: 8 good sized red potatoes; 1 small onion minced; 2 ribs of celery, sliced thin; 4 eggs hard boiled and peeled; 1/4 cup of Pimento, diced; 1 pint of sour cream; 1/4 cup of good white vinegar; 1 heaping Tbs. of sugar (do not omit); 1/2 tsp. salt; pepper

Why it works: Potato and onion 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 ↓

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.

Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,047 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,518 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,305 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Red potatoes: Hold their shape when cooked, providing the bulk and body of the salad.
Sour cream: Supplies creamy moisture and a tangy richness that coats the potatoes.
Eggs: Add richness and body to the dressing as they are mashed and mixed in.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the sour cream and balances the sugar.
Sugar: Balances the acidity of the vinegar and sour cream for a rounder flavor.

The step that matters

Cook the potatoes until tender only. Potatoes that are overcooked absorb too much water and break down, so the salad turns mushy. Cooking just until a knife slides in keeps the cubes intact.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, celery, egg, cream, vinegar, sugar, pepper):

Mustardfits better
Capsicumfits better
Spinachfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, celery, egg, cream, vinegar, sugar, pepper. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pimento	not in our table	0

Sour Cream Potato Salad