Pot O' Gold Potato Soup

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. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together9,023 recipes

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

3. Potato + garlictop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,517 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

4. Celery + potatotop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,047 recipes

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

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

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

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

What each ingredient does

Potato flakes

Thicken the broth and give the soup its body as the starch absorbs liquid.

Process american cheese

Melts smoothly into the liquid, adding richness and a creamy texture.

Sour cream

Adds tang and creaminess; it can curdle or separate if boiled.

Milk

Adds creaminess and moisture, softening the soup's body and flavor.

Butter or margarine

Adds fat and flavor while softening the celery and onion.

The step that matters

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, butter, chicken, potato, milk, cheese, garlic):

1. Thymefits better
2. Parsleyfits about as well
3. Cuminfits about as well
4. Celerythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, butter, chicken, potato, milk, cheese, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.