Rich French Onion Soup

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 + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together25,665 recipes

   Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

3. Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together17,092 recipes

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

4. Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together29,779 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

5. Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,083 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

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

What each ingredient does

Red onions

Slow browning builds the deep golden color and sweet, rich flavor of the soup.

Beef consommé

Forms the savory liquid base of the soup.

Dry white wine

Adds acidity and aroma that brighten the rich broth.

Cheddar cheese

Melts over the toast, adding fat, body and savory flavor.

French loaf

Toasted slices hold up under the cheese and soak up some soup.

The step that matters

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, olive, onion, garlic, sugar, beef, white wine):

1. Thymefits better
2. Parsleyfits better
3. Rosemaryfits better
4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, olive, onion, garlic, sugar, beef, white wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.