Why it works: Tomato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,633 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Sliced Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the tomatoes
Peel the tomatoes with a sharp knife.
Chill the tomatoes on ice until very cold.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a salad dish.
If desired, rub the dish with a slice of raw onion.
Serve
Serve with French dressing from a gravy boat.
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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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 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
- Ripe tomatoes
- Form the whole dish, supplying juicy flesh, mild acidity and the fresh flavour.
- French dressing
- Adds fat, sweetness and acidity that season the cold tomato slices.
The step that matters
Chill the tomatoes until very cold. Cold firms the tomato flesh, so thin slices hold their shape and do not tear or turn mushy when cut.
“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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