Why it works: Butter and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,525 recipes. Both carry trans-2-decenal, which smells waxy, orange. The science ↓
Broiled Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat the grill over a clear fire.
Grease the grill bars with suet.
Cook and serve
Broil the steak, turning it very often.
Once done, place the steak on a hot platter.
Top with bits of butter and mushroom ketchup or Worcestershire sauce.
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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Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Mushroom + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Porter-house steak
- Provides the main protein, which browns and firms as it cooks over direct heat.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture when melted over the hot steak.
- Mushroom ketchup or worcestershire sauce
- Adds savory, tangy depth that complements the browned beef.
The step that matters
Broil the steak, turning it very often. Frequent turning cooks the steak more evenly and keeps the surface from scorching before the interior is done. Browning depends on the grill being hot, so the surface develops flavor while the center reaches the desired doneness.
“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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