Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Mary's Slow Cooker Pork Chops
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Spray a nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
Heat skillet over medium‑high heat.
Remove pork chops from package and add to hot skillet.
Brown pork chops on both sides; they need only be browned, not fully cooked.
Slow cook
Spray a slow cooker container with nonstick cooking spray.
Add browned pork chops to the slow cooker.
Season with salt and pepper; use little salt because bouillon adds salt.
Season with a bit of garlic and onion powders.
Stir soup and add to pork chops in the slow cooker vessel.
Add chicken bouillon granules.
Add half a soup can of water.
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until the pork chops are tender.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 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.
-
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,417 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
-
Mushroom + chickentop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,172 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
-
Mushroom + garlictop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,700 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Chicken + garlictop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,850 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Boneless pork chops
- Provide the meat that becomes tender during long, moist cooking.
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Supplies moisture, body and savory flavour to form the sauce around the chops.
- Chicken bouillon granules
- Add savory seasoning and salt to the sauce.
The step that matters
Browning the chops before slow cooking. Browning creates flavour through the Maillard reaction on the surface. The chops only need browning, not full cooking, because the slow cooker finishes them gently over many hours.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, cream, mushroom, chicken, pepper, garlic, corn):
- Potatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, cream, mushroom, chicken, pepper, garlic, corn. 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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