Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the macaroni
Break the macaroni into 1-2 inch pieces.
Boil in a kettle of water for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water.
Cook again until perfectly tender.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, heat the butter or olive oil and add the chopped onion.
Fry until the onion is soft but not browned.
Add the strained tomatoes and the cooked macaroni.
Heat thoroughly, then stir in the grated cheese.
Season with salt and pepper before serving.
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 + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + cheesetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,896 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
- Macaroni
- Forms the starchy body of the dish, absorbing sauce and giving it bulk.
- American cheese
- Melts into the tomato mixture to add richness and a smooth, creamy texture.
- Butter or olive oil
- Carries the onion's flavor and adds fat for a richer mouthfeel.
- Strained tomatoes
- Provide liquid, acidity and body that form the base of the sauce.
- Onion
- Adds savory aromatic flavor as it softens in the fat.
The step that matters
Fry the onion until soft but not browned. Gentle cooking softens the onion and releases its sweetness without caramelizing it, keeping the sauce mild and smooth. Browning would add bitter, toasted notes that clash with the delicate cheese sauce.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, tomato, cheese, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Onionthe original
- Mustardfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, tomato, cheese, pepper. 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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