Why it works: Egg and anchovy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,330 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Buttered Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the salt.
Cook and serve
Pour the beaten eggs into the saucepan and stir over medium heat.
When the eggs are almost done, remove from heat and continue stirring for a few minutes.
Spread anchovy paste on hot buttered toast and top with the buttered eggs.
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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Egg + anchovytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,330 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + anchovytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,697 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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 as they heat, giving the dish its body and texture.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and keeps the eggs from sticking and scorching in the pan.
- Anchovy paste
- Adds a salty, savoury note that contrasts with the rich eggs.
The step that matters
Removing the eggs from heat while still slightly wet. Egg proteins keep setting from residual heat after the pan leaves the burner. Pulling them off just before they look fully cooked, and stirring gently, prevents overcooked, rubbery curds.
“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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