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Fried Green Tomatoes

Thin slices of green tomatoes coated in cornmeal and fried until golden.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Fried Green Tomatoes

Timeabout 3 minutes per side

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Slice the tomatoes ¼–½ inch (0.75–1.25 cm) thick.

  2. Salt and pepper tomato slices to taste.

Fry

  1. Dip slices in cornmeal and shallow fry in hot grease or oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until golden on bottom.

  2. Gently turn over, and fry the other side.

Serve

  1. Serve by themselves or, for an elegant addition, add a little goat cheese.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

267Calories
1 gProtein
27 gFat
6 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

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. Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

  3. Pepper + olivetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Green tomatoes
Firm, tart slices that hold their shape and provide the main body of the dish.
Yellow cornmeal
Forms a crisp, golden coating that browns in the hot oil and seals in moisture.

The step that matters

Frying over medium heat. The oil must be hot enough to brown the cornmeal quickly, but not so hot that the coating scorches before the tomato softens. Medium heat gives a golden crust with a tender interior.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, olive):

  1. Capsicumfits about as well
  2. Tomatothe original
  3. Eggplantfits less well
  4. Spinachfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, olive. 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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