Name: Tomato Soup
Ingredients: three pints of tomatoes; two quarts of beef stock; three pints of milk; one quart of milk; two tablespoonfuls of fljur; two heads of celery; two tablespoonfuls of cold milk; half cup of whipped cream; three pounds of fish; one quart of milk heated to boiling point; half cup of powdered crackers in milk; one pint of milk; three pints of water; two quarts of milk on to scald; one quart of clams; one half pound of butter; three quarts of water; two quarts we sell tournade's kitchen bouquet; two pounds of lobster; one tablespoon of butter; two tablespoons of flour; one teaspoonful of white peppei; one pint of water; a pint of water; a piece of celery; a pinch of salt; a teaspoonful of sugar; a gill of broth; a pint of cold water; one onion

Why it works: Tomato and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,377 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. 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.

Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,377 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Tomato + beeftop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,448 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Clam + buttertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together840 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

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

What each ingredient does

Tomatoes: Provide the main body, flavour and acidity of the soup.
Beef stock: Adds savoury depth and liquid to the soup.
Butter: Adds richness and helps the bread brown for the croutons.
Yeast bread (in the method): Becomes crisp croutons that add texture to the soup.

The step that matters

Browning the croutons. Bread cut into small squares can burn quickly in a hot oven before it is crisp. Watching closely lets the butter and starches brown evenly, giving crunch without bitterness.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, beef, milk, cream, fish, clam, butter):

Celerythe original
Garlicfits about as well
Pepperfits about as well
Nutmegfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, beef, milk, cream, fish, clam, butter. 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
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Beef	100g cooked	250
Pork	100g cooked	242
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup

Ingredients

Directions

Make the soup

Make the croutons and serve

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)