Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Beeakfast Dish
Ingredients
Directions
Remove all surplus fat and bits of gristle from boiled corned beef, chop fine; add two-thirds of chopped cold boiled potatoes and a small onion if you like; season with pepper and salt; place in an earthen dish; dredge a little flour over it; pour in water enough to come up nearly level with top of hash; bake one hour in oven; when nearly done, add a piece of butter; stir through the hash.
Chop cold corned beef into cubes; add one-third of cold boiled potatoes cut into the same size; put in one ram's onion chopped fine; add enough butter to keep perfectly moist; then fry until brown.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| 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.
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + beeftop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,847 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Corned beef
- Provides the main meaty body and savoury flavour of the hash.
- Potatoes (in the method)
- Add starchy bulk and body that hold the hash together.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, keeping the hash from drying out.
- Onion
- Adds aromatic sweetness and depth as it softens and browns.
The step that matters
Keeping the hash moist while frying. Corned beef and potato dry out quickly over heat. Enough butter keeps the surface from scorching before the pieces brown evenly, so the hash stays tender inside and browns well outside.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, beef, pepper):
- Potatofits about as well
- Onionthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, beef, 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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