Why it works: Celery and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,810 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup
In a pot, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
Add the onions and celery, and let them simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, cover, and cook for 2 minutes.
Pour in the boiling water and boil for one hour, adding more boiling water as it evaporates.
Thicken and serve
In a small bowl, mix the remaining flour and butter, then add some potato liquid and cook until thickened.
Combine the thickened mixture with the soup.
Serve hot with croutons. You can also add any leftover cold cooked vegetables.
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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Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the bulk of the soup and, as they break down, body and a creamy texture.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour, and coats the flour to help make the thickener.
- Flour
- Thickens the soup when cooked with butter and potato liquid into a smooth paste.
- Onions
- Add savory aroma and depth of flavour as they soften in the butter.
The step that matters
Thickening the mixture with flour and butter. Flour must be cooked in fat and liquid until thickened, or it stays raw-tasting and can form lumps. Mixing the remaining flour and butter before adding potato liquid helps it blend smoothly into the soup.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, onion, celery, parsley, butter, flour):
- Thymefits better
- Capersfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, onion, celery, parsley, butter, flour. 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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