Name: Rhode Island Chowder
Ingredients: 1 quart clams; 3 inch cube fat salt pork; 1 sliced onion; ½ cup cold water; 4 cups potatoes cut in ¾ inch cubes; 2 cups boiling water; 1 cup stewed and strained tomatoes; ¼ teaspoon soda; 1 cup scalded milk; 1 cup scalded cream; 2 tablespoons butter; 8 common crackers; Salt and pepper

Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

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.

Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + tomatotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,798 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pork + potatotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,668 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Clams: Provide the main seafood flavor and texture, with their liquor adding savory depth to the broth.
Potatoes: Add starch and body, thickening the chowder as they cook and soften.
Salt pork: Renders fat and savory flavor into the base before the liquid is added.
Milk and cream: Add richness and a smooth, creamy texture to the broth.
Crackers: Soak up liquid and thicken the chowder when reheated, adding body.
Tomatoes: Add acidity and a subtle sweetness, giving the chowder its color and tang.

The step that matters

Add the milk, cream and butter after the potatoes are nearly done. Dairy added to a boiling pot can scorch on the bottom or curdle, and the potatoes cook through more evenly when the dairy is added near the end. Keeping the chowder at a gentle heat protects its smooth texture.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clam, pork, onion, potato, milk, cream, butter):

Asparagusfits about as well
Chivefits about as well
Capsicumfits about as well
Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against clam, pork, onion, potato, milk, cream, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Pork	100g cooked	242
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Rhode Island Chowder