Why it works: Onion and clove are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,901 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Tomato Puree
Ingredients
Directions
Melt butter in a frying pan and cook chopped onion until tender in it.
Dissolve sugar and cornstarch in a little tomato.
Add a few cloves and cook for half an hour.
Strain the mixture.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,901 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
-
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Butter + clovetop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,045 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Sugar + clovetop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together17,182 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Sugar and clove barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 17,182 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
- Butter
- Carries fat for cooking the onion and adds richness and a rounder flavor.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the tomato.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the puree as its starch swells when heated in liquid.
- Onion
- Softens and sweetens as it cooks, adding savory depth to the puree.
- Cloves
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavor during the long simmer.
The step that matters
Dissolve sugar and cornstarch in a little tomato. Cornstarch clumps when added directly to hot liquid. Dispersing it in a little liquid first lets the starch granules separate, so they swell evenly and thicken the puree smoothly when heated.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, onion):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Garlicfits better
- Gingerfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, onion. 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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