Name: Potato Salad
Ingredients: 8 cold boiled potatoes; 1 small cucumber, finely chopped; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 3 stalks tender celery, finely chopped; mayonnaise dressing; 2-3 tablespoons cold boiled beets, finely chopped

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 Salad

Ingredients

8 cold boiled potatoes
1 small cucumber, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 stalks tender celery, finely chopped
mayonnaise dressing
2-3 tablespoons cold boiled beets, finely chopped

Directions

Chop the cold boiled potatoes, cucumber, onion, and celery finely.
In a bowl, mix the chopped vegetables with mayonnaise dressing.
In the center, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of finely chopped cold boiled beets.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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 pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,047 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,518 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Cucumber + celerytop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,745 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Cucumber + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,050 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: Form the bulk of the salad, giving it body and a soft, starchy texture.
Mayonnaise dressing: Adds fat and creaminess that binds the chopped vegetables together and carries flavor.
Celery: Contributes crisp texture and a fresh, slightly savory crunch to the salad.
Onion: Adds sharp aroma and pungency that balances the richness of the dressing.
Beets: Add earthy sweetness and a vivid color when placed in the center of the salad.