Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Clam Chowder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the clams finely.
Place the clams in a kettle with liquor and 1 quart of water.
Bring to a boil and skim.
Make the chowder
Add the onions, potatoes, salt pork (chopped finely), canned tomatoes, thyme, pepper, and break the hard-tack before serving.
Add Worcestershire sauce just before serving. Stir to combine.
Let simmer slowly all day.
If too thick, add hot water.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Thyme | 1 tsp dried (1.4g) | 4 |
| 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.
-
Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Thyme + peppertop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,585 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Potato + thymetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,586 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Onion + thymetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,171 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Clams
- Provide the main briny seafood flavour and tender chewy texture in the broth.
- Potatoes
- Release starch as they cook, helping to thicken the chowder and give it body.
- Onions
- Add aromatic sweetness and depth as they soften during the long simmer.
The step that matters
Let simmer slowly all day. Prolonged boiling makes clam meat tough and rubbery, so the heat should stay gentle. A slow simmer keeps the clams tender while the onions and potatoes break down and flavour the broth.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clam, potato, thyme, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Tomatofits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against clam, potato, thyme, 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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