Why it works: Potato and onion 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 ↓
Potato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup
Steam or boil three pounds of good mealy potatoes until very dry.
Mash the potatoes into a smooth paste.
Gradually mix in two quarts of boiling broth.
Pass the soup through a strainer.
Return the soup to the fire.
Add pepper and salt.
Let it boil for five minutes.
Remove the black scum that rises to the surface.
Finish and serve
If desired, mince two ounces of onions, fry until light brown, and add to the soup.
Stew the onions in the soup for ten minutes before serving.
Serve hot with fried or toasted bread.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| 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.
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 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).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the starch and body that thicken the soup into a smooth purée.
- Broth
- Supplies the liquid that carries the flavour and loosens the mashed potatoes into soup.
- Onions
- Add savoury depth and aroma once fried to light brown and stewed in the soup.
The step that matters
Mashing the potatoes into a smooth paste. Potatoes must be very dry before mashing, because excess moisture makes the paste gluey and dilutes the starch. Working the potatoes smooth before adding broth gives the soup an even, lump-free texture.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, 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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