Unique Potato Salad

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. Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together6,810 recipes

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

2. Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,169 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

3. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together34,122 recipes

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

4. Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together9,023 recipes

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

5. Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,855 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Red potatoes

Provide the starchy body of the salad, holding their shape when cooked and cooled.

Mayonnaise

Adds creaminess, fat and moisture that coat the potato cubes and bind the salad.

Yellow mustard

Adds sharp tang and helps emulsify the dressing so it blends smoothly.

Red onion

Adds sharp, pungent flavour that cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise.

Celery seed

Contributes a warm, savoury aroma that gives the salad its characteristic flavour.

Milk

Thins the mayonnaise dressing to loosen it to the desired consistency.

The step that matters

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, pepper, celery, sugar, mustard, milk, parsley):

1. Carrotfits better
2. Capsicumfits better
3. Horseradishfits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, pepper, celery, sugar, mustard, milk, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.