Macaroni Soup

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.

1. Celery + spinachtop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together616 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

2. Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together27,232 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

3. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

4. Celery + cinnamontop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,009 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

5. Spinach + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together179 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

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

What each ingredient does

Macaroni (in the method)

Forms the body of the soup and gives it a substantial, chewy texture.

Butter

Adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel to the cooked macaroni.

Swap the spinach

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (celery, bread, vinegar, milk, cinnamon, sugar, butter):

1. Mustardfits better
2. Capsicumfits better
3. Sweet potatofits better
4. Spinachthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against celery, bread, vinegar, milk, cinnamon, sugar, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.