Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Beef Stew
Ingredients
Directions
Place the beef in a pot and cover with 2 quarts of cold water.
Let it simmer for about 3 hours.
Add the potatoes, onions, and carrots.
Ten minutes before serving, add the tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + carrottop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,107 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Potato + tomatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,555 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Carrot + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,606 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
- Beef
- Provides the main meaty texture and rich flavor as it simmers slowly.
- Potatoes
- Hold their shape in the simmering liquid and thicken the stew slightly as their starch releases.
- Onions
- Soften and release sweetness, adding depth to the savory broth.
- Carrots
- Add natural sweetness and firm texture that holds up through simmering.
- Tomatoes
- Add acidity and brightness that balance the richness of the beef.
The step that matters
Adding the tomatoes ten minutes before serving. Tomatoes added too early break down and turn the broth dull and mushy, while a short final simmer keeps their acidity fresh and their shape intact.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, potato, carrot, tomato, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Onionthe original
- Spinachfits about as well
- Okrafits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, potato, carrot, tomato, pepper. 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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