Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the parsley, green onions, and celery into a powder.
Boil the potatoes until tender, pare them, and cut into slices while hot.
Season and dress
Add the chopped parsley, onions, and celery, and season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
Add finely chopped celery.
Pour heated vinegar over the mixture and add some fine olive oil; mix well with two silver forks.
Add sufficient mayonnaise to give the salad a yellow color.
Serve
Serve on lettuce and garnish with hard-boiled eggs and hearts of lettuce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes (in the method)
- Form the bulk of the salad and soak up the dressing while they are still warm.
- Mayonnaise (in the method)
- Adds creaminess, richness and moisture that binds the salad together.
- Vinegar (in the method)
- Adds sharp acidity that brightens the flavor and cuts the richness of the fat.
- Olive oil (in the method)
- Adds fat and a smooth mouthfeel that carries the seasoning.
- Green onions
- Add a sharp, aromatic bite.
- Parsley
- Adds fresh, herbal aroma and color.
The step that matters
Dressing the warm potatoes with vinegar. Potatoes that are still hot absorb vinegar and oil readily, so the flavor penetrates the slices. If they cool first, the dressing mostly coats the surface and the salad tastes flat.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (parsley, pepper):
- Carrotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against parsley, 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.
More potato salad recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe 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.