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 ↓
Boiled Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash potatoes clean.
Cut off the ends if desired.
Let stand in cold water for a few hours.
Boil
Put potatoes into boiling water.
Cover and keep boiling constantly.
After fifteen minutes throw in a handful of salt.
Boil another fifteen minutes.
Test with a fork; if it does not quite run through the potato, they are done.
Finish
Drain the potatoes.
Take to a door or window and shake in open air to make them mealy.
Return to stove and allow to stand uncovered for a moment.
Alternative methods
Alternatively, bake in a moderate oven for fifty minutes.
Alternatively, place in a steamer for twenty minutes over water kept constantly boiling.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| 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).
-
Milk + potatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + potatotop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,355 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Potatoes
- Form the main body of the dish; their starch softens and turns mealy when cooked through.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, and its sugars lightly brown when the dish is baked.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a smooth, lightly bound sauce.
The step that matters
Testing for doneness with a fork. Potatoes that are undercooked stay firm in the centre and will not turn mealy. Test near the middle of the largest potato, since the outside softens first and can mislead.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, milk, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Arrowrootfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Parsnipfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, milk, 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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