Why it works: White pepper and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,451 recipes. Both carry myrcene, which smells balsamic, herbaceous. The science ↓
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Boil as many eggs as needed for twenty minutes.
When cooked enough to handle, cut the eggs in halves lengthwise.
Extract the yolks and rub them into a paste with a little melted butter, some cayenne pepper (or white pepper if preferred), a little salt, and just a dash of vinegar.
Fill the whites with this paste.
Serve on a platter garnished with parsley.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| 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.
-
White pepper + parsleytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,451 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
-
Vinegar + parsleytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Vinegar + white peppertop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,154 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs (in the method)
- Provide the whites that hold the filling and the yolks that form the creamy paste.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds richness and smoothness to the yolk paste so it spreads easily.
- Vinegar
- Adds a small amount of acidity that brightens the rich yolk filling.
The step that matters
Cook the eggs for twenty minutes and cool them before cutting. Overcooking eggs turns the yolks dry and chalky and can leave a grey-green ring around them. Cooling them enough to handle keeps the whites intact when they are halved.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, parsley):
- Tarragonfits better
- Dillfits better
- Thymefits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, parsley. 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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