Name: Roy's Cafe Chili for a Crowd
Ingredients: 20 lbs chili meat; 2 cans (#10) tomato sauce; 12 tbsp chili powder; 6 tsp crushed chili; 2 tsp black pepper; 4 tbsp salt; 3 tbsp garlic; 2 tsp oregano; 2 tsp cominos (cumin); 15 tbsp paprika; 8 cups diced fresh onion; beans to add later

Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together983 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,767 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Chili meat: Provides the main protein and body of the chili as it browns and cooks down.
Tomato sauce: Supplies the liquid base and moisture that the chili simmers and bakes in.
Chili powder: Contributes the core chili flavor and warmth to the dish.
Diced fresh onion: Adds sweetness and savory depth as it softens during baking.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma and savory flavor that mellows during long cooking.
Paprika: Adds color and mild, sweet pepper flavor to the chili.

The step that matters

Browning the meat in the 450°F oven. Stirring frequently until the meat is done lets it brown evenly, and browning builds deeper flavor through the Maillard reaction. Meat that is crowded or pale will taste flatter in the finished chili.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, tomato, sauce, pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin):

Capsicumfits better
Eggplantfits better
Spinachfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against meat, tomato, sauce, pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Meat	not in our table	0
Bean	not in our table	0

Roy's Cafe Chili for a Crowd