Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Hamberg Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the meat
Salt the steak as desired.
Cut off fat, bone, and stringy pieces.
Chop the steak and onions very fine. Mix them together.
Season to taste.
Form the mixture into round cakes, about ½ inch thick.
Cook
Heat a pan until very hot and lightly grease it.
Add the cakes and cook for 60 seconds.
Turn the cakes and cook on the other side until browned.
For rare, they are done when browned; for well done, cook for an additional 10 minutes.
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.
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 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
- Round steak
- Provides the meat that forms the body and rich beefy flavor of the patty.
- Drippings
- Adds fat for lubrication in the pan and richer, savory flavor while browning.
- Onions
- Contribute moisture and mild sweetness and aroma once finely chopped into the mixture.
The step that matters
Searing the cakes in a very hot, lightly greased pan. A very hot pan browns the surface quickly through the Maillard reaction, building flavor before the interior overcooks. A pan that is not hot enough steams the cakes and leaves them grey and dry.
“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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