Why it works: Flour and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 32,460 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Savoury Gravy
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mince one onion finely.
Make the gravy
Fry the minced onion in butter until dark brown.
Stir in a tablespoonful of flour.
After one minute, add half a pint of broth or stock, pepper, salt, and a very small quantity of Worcester sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| 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.
-
Flour + oniontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 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
- Onion
- Browning in fat develops sweetness and a deep, rich colour and flavour for the gravy.
- Flour
- Starch thickens the liquid into gravy once it is cooked with the fat and broth.
- Broth
- Forms the liquid base of the gravy and supplies its savoury flavour.
The step that matters
Cook the flour before adding the liquid. Stirring flour into the fat and cooking it briefly helps it blend smoothly and removes its raw, pasty taste. Adding broth after that lets the starch swell and thicken the gravy evenly.
“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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