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Parmesan Carbonara

A pasta dish made with linguine, eggs, butter, milk, Parmesan, bacon, parsley, and pepper.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Parmesan Carbonara

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the pasta

  1. Cook linguine according to package directions.

  2. Drain, but do not rinse.

  3. Return pasta to pan.

Make the sauce and serve

  1. Toss with eggs, butter, and milk.

  2. Add remaining ingredients.

  3. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

  4. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

489Calories
28 gProtein
36 gFat
15 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

  1. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Butter + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,163 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Parmesan cheese + peppertop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,322 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together28,563 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Beaten eggs set gently with the heat, thickening the sauce and coating the pasta creamily.
Butter
Adds fat and richness, helping the sauce coat the strands smoothly.
Parmesan cheese
Adds salty, savory flavor and helps thicken the sauce as it melts.
Bacon
Contributes smoky, savory flavor and rendered fat to the dish.
Milk
Adds moisture and mildness, loosening the egg mixture into a silky sauce.

The step that matters

Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Eggs thicken as they heat but can scramble if overheated or left still. Gentle, frequent stirring keeps the sauce smooth and creamy rather than grainy.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, milk, parmesan cheese, pepper):

  1. Parsleythe original
  2. Nutmegfits about as well
  3. Cinnamonfits less well
  4. Thymefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, milk, parmesan cheese, 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.

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