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 ↓
Garlic, Tomato and Cheddar Sandwich
Serves 1Ingredients
Directions
Toast the bread
Toast the two slices of brown bread until one of the two is not soft anymore (the second one can be).
Build the sandwich
Rub the garlic clove on the hard piece of toasted bread until only a little piece is left, then chop what's left and scatter on the bread.
Cut the tomato in two and crush each side on the same piece of bread, then spread the juice, cut what's left of the tomato, and put it on the bread.
Add the olive oil, being careful not to add more oil than there is bread.
Add the salt and pepper.
Slice or crush the chili and scatter on the piece of bread.
Add the lemon juice.
Neatly add the slices of cheddar.
Close the sandwich with the remaining piece of bread.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 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.
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.
-
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Extra mature cheddar cheese
- Melts and adds rich, savoury flavour and a salty bite to the sandwich.
- Tomato
- Adds juiciness and fresh acidity that moistens the bread.
- Brown bread
- Provides the base structure, and toasting adds crisp texture and browning.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat that carries flavour and gives the bread a richer mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Add the olive oil sparingly. Oil spreads thinly over the toast and soaks in quickly, so too much makes the bread greasy and soggy, while too little leaves it dry and flat.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, garlic, tomato, cheddar cheese, olive, lemon, pepper):
- Basilfits better
- Thymefits better
- Oreganofits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, garlic, tomato, cheddar cheese, olive, lemon, pepper. 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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