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
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a pot.
Add the onions and celery, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, cover, and cook for 2 minutes.
Pour in the boiling water and boil for 1 hour, adding more boiling water as it evaporates.
Thicken and serve
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining flour and butter, add some potato liquid, and cook until thickened.
Combine the thickened mixture with the soup and serve hot with croutons.
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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Celery + oniontop 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
- Break down while simmering to give the soup body and a starchy, creamy texture.
- Flour
- Thickens the potato liquid when cooked with butter, giving the soup a smoother body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a rounded flavor to the soup and the thickening roux.
- Onions
- Build savory flavor as they soften in the butter.
The step that matters
Thickening the flour and butter mixture. If flour is added without being cooked in fat and stirred smooth, it forms lumps and tastes raw. Cooking the flour and butter first, then whisking in liquid, gives an even, thickened texture.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, celery, onion, parsley, butter, flour):
- Thymefits better
- Capersfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, celery, onion, 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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