Name: Potato Soup
Ingredients: 6 to 8 large potatoes; 2 quarts water; 2 quarts milk; 1 large lump of butter; Salt to taste; Pepper to taste; Cracker crumbs; Boston crackers

Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Potato Soup

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Boil the potatoes in 2 quarts of water until tender.
Mash the potatoes or crush them with a spoon, then season with salt and pepper.

Make the soup

Add 2 quarts of milk and a large lump of butter, and bring to a boil.
For a richer flavor, use less milk and add some cream.
Once boiling, stir in a few cracker crumbs.

Serve

Before serving, add split Boston crackers.

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.

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.

Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,305 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + milktop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,611 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,456 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Potatoes: Cooked and mashed, they form the body and thickness of the soup.
Milk: Provides liquid and creaminess, and its proteins add a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
Butter: Adds fat for a rich flavor and smooth texture.
Cracker crumbs: Starch from the crackers helps thicken the soup as it boils.