Why it works: Tomato and potato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,798 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Chops
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Measure three-quarters of a cup of tomatoes after the water has been drained off and put the tomatoes in a saucepan over the fire.
Stir into the tomatoes a cupful of mashed potatoes, a heaping tablespoonful of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and half a cup of grated bread crumbs.
Mix thoroughly and add one egg beaten light. Remove from the fire.
Turn into a deep plate and let it get cold.
Shape and fry
Form into the shape of chops.
Dip in egg and roll in dried bread or cracker crumbs.
Fry a nice brown in boiling fat.
Serve
Arrange on a platter and serve with tomato sauce, or place around a dish of stewed tomatoes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 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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Tomato + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,013 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body and moisture of the chops.
- Mashed potatoes
- Add body and bind the mixture so it holds its shape.
- Grated bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and help the mixture firm up as it cools.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture together and forms a coating that browns when fried.
The step that matters
Let the mixture cool before shaping. Warm, soft mixture is sticky and falls apart. Cooling lets the starches and egg set so the chops hold their shape in the hot fat.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, bread, egg, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, bread, egg, 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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