Why it works: Pepper and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The Rump Roast
Ingredients
Directions
Rub the rump roast well with coarse black pepper and flour.
In a roasting pan, brown the flour, then pour in 2 cups of water.
Baste the roast often while cooking.
Listen for a soft stewing sound; if it sizzles and snaps, add more water to prevent burning.
If using the whole rump, carve it lengthwise.
For added flavor, roast one or two onions with the beef.
Add salt during the last basting.
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 + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Flour + oniontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pepper + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the onion
The recipe marks onion as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, flour):
- Arrowrootfits better
- Okrafits better
- Spinachfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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