Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Stuffed Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Boil the eggs hard and place them in cold water.
Cut out the small end of each egg and remove the yolks.
In a bowl, mash the yolks with the onion, celery, cream, black pepper, salt, and butter.
Stuff and bake
Stuff the egg whites with the mixture.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until heated through.
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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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 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
- Egg yolks
- Their richness and fat, blended with butter and cream, give the filling a smooth, creamy texture.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and softness to the mashed yolk filling.
- Butter
- Adds fat that makes the filling rich and smooth.
- Onion
- Contributes savory aroma and flavor to the filling.
- Celery
- Adds a mild, fresh crunch and savory flavor to the filling.
The step that matters
Mashing the yolks smooth. If the yolks are left lumpy or the filling is too stiff, it will not pipe or spoon neatly into the whites. Mashing the yolks thoroughly with the cream and butter gives an even, creamy texture that holds together and fills the whites evenly.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, celery, cream, pepper, butter):
- Spinachfits better
- Leekfits better
- Potatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, celery, cream, pepper, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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