Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Baked Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Select good-sized tomatoes, wash them, and cut them in halves.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.
Take slices of light bread, quarter-inch thick, and butter both sides.
Cover one half of each tomato with the bread, then lay the other half on top.
Bake and serve
Place all in a baking pan with one half gill of water and one ounce of butter.
Bake for three quarters to one hour; they should be well done.
Remove each tomato separately to the dish.
Pour over the liquid remaining in the pan, which should not be more than two or three tablespoonfuls.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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.
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Butter + tomatotop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,918 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Soften as they bake and release juice that mixes with the pan liquid.
- Bread (in the method)
- Soaks up tomato juices and cooking liquid, becoming soft and moist.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps the bread and tomato brown lightly in the oven.
The step that matters
Baking until well done. Tomatoes need enough time to soften fully and cook through, but too long in the oven makes them collapse and the bread soggy. Checking for softness during the bake helps you hit the right point.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Carrotfits about as well
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, 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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