Name: Potato Salad
Ingredients: 1 teaspoonful of salt; 3/4 cup of sour cream; one half small onion chopped very fine; 1/2 doz; 4 tablespoonsful olive oil; 4 tablespoonsful vinegar; parsley

Why it works: Olive and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,649 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Potato Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Chop one half small onion very fine.
Chop ½ dozen sprigs of parsley finely.
Rub onion, parsley, and olive oil together.

Dress and assemble

Add salt, ¾ cup of sour cream or 2 of sweet, very little red pepper, and vinegar.
Boil potatoes, skin them, and chop for salad.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

267Calories

18 gProtein

14 gFat

16 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
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.

By Jacqueline Harrison Smith (ed.). Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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.

Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,649 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29,779 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,843 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,297 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,226 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

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

What each ingredient does

Sour cream: Adds creamy richness and moisture, and a tangy flavor that dresses the salad.
Olive oil: Carries the onion and parsley flavors and adds fat for a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the cream and oil.
Onion: Contributes sharp aromatic flavor that mellows as it is rubbed into the oil.