Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Eggs Upon Toast
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Whisk the eggs with pepper, salt, and parsley in a bowl.
Cook and assemble
Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan and stir for 3 minutes until cooked.
Cut the toasted bread into rounds and spread with minced meat.
Top the meat with the scrambled eggs in mounds.
Serve
Serve on a hot dish garnished with parsley and pickled beets.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Egg + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Bread + chickentop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,258 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity).
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Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into soft curds that form the main topping.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps keep the eggs from sticking to the pan.
- Minced tongue, chicken, or ham
- Provides savoury meat flavour and a moist layer under the eggs.
The step that matters
Stirring the eggs in the hot pan. Eggs cook quickly over heat and turn rubbery if overcooked. Stirring gently keeps the curds soft and moist, so they should be removed while still slightly glossy.
“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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