Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Stewed Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
If fresh tomatoes are used, remove the skins by placing them in boiling water a few minutes; they will then peel off easily.
Cut them in pieces, and stew in a granite-ware saucepan until tender.
To one quart of tomatoes add one teaspoonful each of salt and sugar, one quarter teaspoonful of pepper, and a tablespoonful of butter.
Thicken with a teaspoonful of cornstarch wet in cold water, or with one half cupful of cracker or bread-crumbs.
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 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cracker | 5 saltine crackers (15g) | 66 |
| 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.
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Tomato + buttertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,918 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Form the main body of the dish, softening as they stew into a cooked sauce.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the tomato liquid into a looser sauce when heated with it.
- Cracker
- Absorbs tomato liquid and thickens the stew as an alternative to cornstarch.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel to the stewed tomatoes.
The step that matters
Thicken with cornstarch wet in cold water. Cornstarch must be mixed with cold water first so it disperses evenly; added dry or straight into hot liquid it clumps. It thickens only as the liquid heats, so the sauce should be stirred until it loosens.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, butter):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Carrotfits about as well
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, butter. 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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