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Salad

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

A fresh salad of diced cucumber, tomato, and onion tossed with sunflower oil and salt.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Cucumber and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,405 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

2–3

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Chop cucumbers and tomatoes into small cubes (approx. ¼ inch on the side).

  2. Peel and chop the onion.

  3. Combine all of the above in an appropriately sized bowl.

Dress and season

  1. Add sunflower oil and mix well.

  2. Add salt to taste and mix again.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

82Calories
3 gProtein
0 gFat
18 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cucumber1/2 cup sliced (52g)16
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Sunflower Oilnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

  1. Cucumber + tomatotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,405 recipes

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

  2. Cucumber + sunflowertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together85 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  3. Cucumber + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,050 recipes

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

  4. Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

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

  5. Tomato + sunflowertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together404 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

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

What each ingredient does

Cucumber
Provides the crisp, watery bulk that gives the salad its fresh texture.
Tomato
Adds juiciness and moisture that combine with the oil to form a light dressing.
Onion
Contributes sharp, pungent flavour that balances the sweetness of the tomato.
Sunflower oil
Carries flavour and coats the vegetables, adding richness and a silky mouthfeel.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cucumber, tomato, sunflower):

  1. Lettucefits better
  2. Eggplantfits better
  3. Capsicumfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cucumber, tomato, sunflower. 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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