Why it works: Celery and carrot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,173 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Tuna Casserole
Serves 6Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cook egg noodles as directed on package.
Preheat oven to 400°F while boiling water.
Drain egg noodles.
Assemble and bake
Mix together all ingredients except fried onion rings.
Put mixture in a casserole dish or a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle fried onion topping on top of baked casserole.
Bake for an additional 3 minutes, or until fried onion is slightly brown.
Serve
Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 13 of 15 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon | 100g cooked | 208 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Potato Chip | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Pea | 1/2 cup (72g) | 62 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Soup | not in our table | 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.
-
Celery + carrottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,173 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Chicken + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,172 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
-
Potato + carrottop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,107 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Potato + corntop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together938 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Carrot + corntop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together794 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tuna
- Provides the main protein and the bulk of the casserole's savory flavor.
- Cream of soups
- Binds the mixture into a creamy sauce that keeps the casserole moist.
- Egg noodles
- Supply the starchy body that holds the casserole together when baked.
- Frozen vegetables
- Add moisture, color and mild sweetness to the casserole.
- Fried onion rings
- Form a crisp topping that browns in the oven, adding aroma and crunch.
The step that matters
Bake the fried onion topping for only 3 minutes. The topping is added late and needs only a short bake to brown. Baking it too long can scorch the onions, which turn bitter once burnt.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, celery, chicken, mushroom, potato, carrot, corn):
- Beansfits better
- Peanutfits better
- Sesamefits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, celery, chicken, mushroom, potato, carrot, corn. 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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