Why it works: Beef and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,971 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Bouillon
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, combine the chopped beef and cold water.
Simmer for 4 to 5 hours, skimming occasionally, until the juice is extracted from the meat.
Season with salt and pepper, then strain the broth and serve hot.
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.
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.
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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 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
- Lean beef (round)
- Provides the meat juices and savory flavor that make up the broth.
- Cold water
- Extracts flavor and gelatin from the beef as it simmers slowly.
The step that matters
Simmer slowly and skim occasionally. Keeping the pot at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil extracts juice from the meat while keeping the broth clear. Skimming removes foam and fat that would otherwise cloud the liquid and taste greasy.
“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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