Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Put a quart of milk, six large potatoes, one stalk of celery, one onion, and a tablespoon of butter in a pot.
Bring milk to a boil with onion and celery.
Parboil potatoes and boil for thirty minutes.
Make and serve
Drain and mash finely.
Add boiling milk and butter, pepper, and salt to taste.
Rub through a strainer and serve immediately.
Add a cupful of whipped cream when in the tureen.
This soup must not be allowed to stand, not even if kept hot.
Serve as soon as ready.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Celery + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Milk + potatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Cream + potatotop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,481 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
- Potatoes
- Mashed starch gives the soup its body and thick, smooth texture.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base and adds creaminess and mild sweetness.
- Whipped cream
- Adds richness and a light, silky finish to the soup.
- Celery
- Contributes a fresh, savory aroma that flavors the milk.
The step that matters
Add the whipped cream last and serve at once. Whipped cream holds its air only briefly and can deflate or weep when held. Mashed potato thickens and sets as it cools, so standing makes the soup gluey and dull.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, cream, potato, pepper):
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Celerythe original
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Dillfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, cream, potato, 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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