Name: Lettuce and Onion
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon vinegar is the proportion; 2 tablespoons of this mixture is enough; one plate; salt; pepper; vinegar

Why it works: Olive and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,297 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓

Lettuce and Onion

one plate

Ingredients

Directions

Cut the lettuce finely with the shears.
Put it on a plate and add a little onion, cut up fine.
Cover with a French dressing made from 2 tablespoons olive oil, a little salt, and red pepper.
Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to the mixture.
Use 2 tablespoons of this mixture for one plate.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

128Calories

0 gProtein

14 gFat

2 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
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.

By Warren, Pa. Presbyterian church. Second auxiliary missionary society. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,297 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together30,263 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,814 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lettuce (in the method): Forms the bulk of the salad and carries the dressing.
Onion (in the method): Adds a sharp, pungent flavor that balances the dressing.
Olive oil: Adds fat, giving the dressing a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and cuts the richness of the oil.

“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.