Why it works: Pepper and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
1933 Baked Steak
enough for twoIngredients
Directions
Prepare
Flour your pieces of steak well and sear in the hot fat until browned.
Season with salt and pepper.
Layer and bake
Now butter a casserole dish, and line it with a layer of onion slices, celery or leaves, followed by the steak.
Sprinkle with catsup.
Continue to layer with remaining ingredients, depending on how much steak you have, adding catsup with each layer.
Now cover with boiling water, and bake at 375°F in a covered casserole dish for 2 hours.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Pepper + celerytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Steak
- Forms the main body of the dish, becoming tender during the long covered bake.
- Flour
- Coats the steak so it browns well during searing and helps thicken the juices.
- Onion
- Adds sweetness and aroma as it softens under the steak in the casserole.
- Catsup
- Adds sweetness and acidity, flavouring the layers as it cooks down.
The step that matters
Sear the floured steak until browned. Searing in hot fat creates browned flavour through the Maillard reaction. Pale steak stays bland, and flour on the surface helps it brown evenly.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, pepper, butter, celery):
- Carrotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Turnipfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, pepper, butter, celery. 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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