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Beef=Loaf

A baked loaf of finely chopped beef mixed with breadcrumbs, spices, onion, gravy, and eggs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Nutmeg and marjoram match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 687 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Beef=Loaf

Ingredients

Directions

Make the mixture

  1. In a bowl, combine the chopped beef, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, nutmeg, marjoram, minced onion, and gravy.

  2. Add the beaten eggs and mix well.

  3. Press the mixture firmly into a mold and cover it.

Cook and serve

  1. Place the mold in a dripping pan filled with boiling water.

  2. Cook slowly for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

  3. Allow to cool completely before turning out.

  4. Slice thinly to serve.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Nutmeg + marjoramtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together687 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Pepper + marjoramtop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,609 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13,015 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,971 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

Lean beef
Forms the body of the loaf and provides the main meaty texture when finely chopped.
Bread crumbs
Absorb moisture and help the loaf hold together and stay tender when sliced.
Eggs
Bind the mixture so it sets firmly when cooked.
Gravy
Adds moisture and savory flavor throughout the loaf.
Onion
Adds aromatic sweetness and savory depth to the mixture.

The step that matters

Cook slowly in the water bath. Gentle, slow heat lets the egg proteins and meat set evenly without drying or toughening the loaf. Boiling water around the mold keeps the edges from overcooking before the center is done.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, bread, pepper, nutmeg, marjoram, egg):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Carrotfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, bread, pepper, nutmeg, marjoram, egg. 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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