Why it works: Tomato and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,448 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the soup
In a large pot, combine the tomatoes and water.
Add the beef bone or cold steak for flavor.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the beef bone or steak and strain the soup.
Thicken and finish
Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water and stir it into the soup.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes until thickened.
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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Tomato + beeftop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,448 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
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body, acidity and flavor of the soup.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the soup as its starch swells when heated.
- Beef bone or cold steak
- Adds savory meaty flavor to the water while it simmers.
The step that matters
Stirring cornstarch into the soup. Cornstarch must be dissolved in cold water first, otherwise it clumps. Starch only thickens once the liquid is hot enough to swell the granules, so the soup must cook for the full extra time until it visibly thickens.
“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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