Why it works: Potato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,305 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Potato Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Boil 4 good-sized mealy potatoes.
Put the boiled potatoes through a sieve.
Scald a teacup of sweet milk and a tablespoon of butter.
Season the potato with salt and pepper, then add the milk and butter, beating until creamy.
Add the yolks of 4 eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly.
Put a pinch of salt in the whites of the eggs and beat to a stiff froth.
Have a well-buttered baking dish ready.
Bake and serve
Add the whites of the eggs to the other mixture at the last moment before putting in the oven.
Bake twenty minutes in a quick oven.
Serve immediately in the dish in which it was baked.
Serve with meats that have gravies.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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.
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.
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Egg + potatotop 29% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,978 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whipped whites give the soufflé its light, risen structure, while the yolks add richness.
- Mealy potatoes
- Their dry, floury starch forms the light base that holds the whipped eggs.
- Milk (in the method)
- Adds moisture and softness, making the potato base smooth and creamy.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat and richness, contributing to a smooth, tender texture.
The step that matters
Add the whites of the eggs at the last moment. Stiffly beaten whites trap air that gives the soufflé its rise. If they are folded in too early or deflated by overmixing, the air escapes and the soufflé bakes flat and dense.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, 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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