Why it works: Sugar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 32% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,401 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Add one pint of parboiled mixed vegetables cut into small dice to one quart of common stock.
Simmer until the vegetables are tender but not pasty.
Season with salt, pepper, and one teaspoonful of sugar.
Serve without straining.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Sugar + peppertop 32% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,401 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,401 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Parboiled mixed vegetables
- Provide the main body of the soup and tender bite once simmered.
- Common stock
- Forms the liquid base that carries the flavour of the soup.
- Sugar
- Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the savoury stock.
The step that matters
Simmer until the vegetables are tender but not pasty. Simmering only until tender keeps the vegetables intact with texture; cooking longer breaks down their starch and cell walls, leaving a mushy, pasty result.
“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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