Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Salad Deessing Foe Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
Directions
SOUE CEEAM DEESSING FOE BOILED BEETS. Half a cup thick, sour cream*; 1 level tablespoon of flour; a little weak vinegar. Boil until thickened and pour over diced and seasoned beets. -■ Mrs. C. A. Martin.
TOMATO SAUCE. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add 1 tablespoon of flour as for white sauce and i cup of either canned or fresh tomatoes. Salt and pepper. Boil until thick like a white sauce. JIrs. J. L. Stone.
Soups will have a richer taste if part of the meat is browned in the spider, either before boiling or later, by using some of the fat from the kettle, and then returning all to the kettle again.
Mrs. H. L. Conlee.
THE USEFUL COOK BOOK 91
SOUP. BOUILLON.
Select 4 lbs. of beef, lean and juicy, from the middle of the round. Wipe it and cut in small pieces, put part of it in a kettle with marrow and bone, add 2 quarts of cold water, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of mixed whole spices, bit of bay-leaf. Brown remainder of meat in hot fat with 1 small onion; then put in kettle and let oome slowly to a boil, and cook at a gentle simmer until reduced to 3 pints. Strain, when cold remove fat, add salt and pepper, heat to boiling point, strain again into hot cups and serve at once. Mrs. C. A. Maetin.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Soup | 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.
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Flour + oniontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, pepper):
- Shallotfits better
- Chivefits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Chicken Salad623 recipes
Salad Dressing491 recipes
Tomato Salad179 recipes
Cold Slaw160 recipes