Oyster 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 + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together6,810 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

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

3. Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,518 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

4. Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together25,843 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

5. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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

Oysters

Provide the main flavor and the tender seafood body of the soup.

Milk

Forms the creamy liquid base that gives the soup its smooth, rich body.

Butter

Adds richness and carries flavor, and cooks with flour to form a roux.

Flour

Thickens the liquor as its starch swells when cooked in hot liquid.

The step that matters

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (oyster, milk, onion, celery, parsley, butter, flour):

1. Capersfits better
2. Thymefits better
3. Tarragonfits better
4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against oyster, milk, onion, celery, parsley, butter, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.