Why it works: Mutton and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,442 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Mutton Chops
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare and fry
Season the mutton chops with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
Cover the chops closely and fry for a few moments.
Dip each chop in cracker crumbs and then in beaten eggs.
Fry the chops again until golden brown.
Alternative: roast
Alternatively, place the chops in a roasting pan with a little water and melted butter.
Baste frequently and roast in a 350°F (175°C) oven until browned.
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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Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,442 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Mutton + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,781 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Mutton + eggtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,648 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton chops
- The main meat, which is seasoned and cooked until browned and tender.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden coating that browns when fried.
- Eggs
- Bind the cracker crumbs to the chops so the coating holds during frying.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat and richness, and helps the surface brown while roasting.
The step that matters
Dipping in crumbs and egg. The egg must be fully beaten and the chop evenly coated, or the crumbs can fall off or burn in patches during the second frying. Browning depends on the coating being dry and even.
“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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