Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Brazilian Stew
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the beef
Cut the beef into slices or pieces of 2 to 3 ounces each.
Dip the beef in good vinegar.
Cook
Place the beef in a stew-pan with or without onions and other flavorings, without adding water.
Cook on a slow fire for 2 to 4 hours until tender and yielding plenty of gravy.
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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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Vinegar + oniontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Beef + vinegartop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,895 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef leg or shin
- Provides the main protein; its connective tissue softens into tender meat during slow cooking.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and savory depth to the stewing liquid as they cook down.
The step that matters
Cook on a slow fire until tender. Gentle, low heat over a long period breaks down the connective tissue in leg or shin meat. Cooking too fast can leave the meat tough and dry, and the gravy may not form properly.
“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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