Why it works: Flour and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 50,459 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Smothered Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the meat
Wipe and trim the meat, reserving the fat and cutting through tough tissue on the edges.
Dredge the meat with flour on a well-floured board.
Pound the meat on both sides with the edge of a porcelain plate, keeping it floured.
Season the meat with salt and pepper.
Brown and smother
Fry the fat in a hot pan, adding a little lard if necessary.
Once the fat is very hot, add the steak and brown well on both sides.
Pour off excess fat, add ½ cup of water, and cover closely.
Cook for at least 30 minutes over a very low flame or in a slow oven, adding water if the pan becomes dry.
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.
-
Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Meat + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,777 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Meat + flourtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,529 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Meat from the round or tough steak
- Long slow cooking under cover breaks down tough connective tissue into tender meat.
- Flour
- Coats the surface so the meat browns well and the pan juices thicken slightly.
- Fat
- Carries heat to the meat and browns its surface for flavour.
- Water
- Creates steam under the lid that keeps the meat moist during the long cook.
The step that matters
Browning the steak in very hot fat. Searing the floured surface in very hot fat creates browned, flavourful crust through the Maillard reaction. Pale, underheated meat will taste flat and stew rather than sear.
“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.
You might also like
Meat Croquettes52 recipes
Meatballs37 recipes
Mince Meat37 recipes
Meat Cakes35 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.