Why it works: Onion and garlic 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 ↓
Hot Chili Tomato Dip
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Melt butter in pan.
Sauté onions, garlic and pepper about 4 minutes.
Add Worcestershire.
Melt cheese in top of double boiler over simmering water.
Stir in tomatoes and cooked onion mixture.
When this begins to bubble, stir in cornstarch mixture.
Stir until sauce thickens.
Serve
Pour into top of chafing dish and keep hot while serving with corn chips as dippers.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Corn Chip | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| 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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,099 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 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
- Cheese
- Melts into the sauce to give it a rich, creamy body and savory flavor.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the liquid into a smooth sauce as it heats and bubbles.
- Tomatoes
- Provide the liquid base and bright, acidic flavor of the dip.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and savory depth when cooked until soft.
- Green chili peppers
- Supply heat and fresh, pungent flavor.
The step that matters
Stir in the cornstarch mixture at a simmer. Cornstarch only thickens fully once it reaches a bubble, so the sauce must come to a boil and be stirred until it thickens. Adding it to a sauce that is not hot enough leaves it thin, while stirring too little can leave lumps.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, onion, garlic, pepper, cheese, tomato, corn):
- Thymefits better
- Cuminfits better
- Oreganofits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, onion, garlic, pepper, cheese, tomato, 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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Corn Fritters203 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Macaroni and Cheese102 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.