Why it works: Tomato and corn match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,099 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the soup
In a large pot, combine the tomatoes and water.
Add the beef bone or cold steak for flavor.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the beef bone or steak and strain the soup.
Thicken and finish
Mix the corn starch with a little water to make a slurry, then stir it into the soup.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes until thickened.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,099 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Tomato + beeftop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Corn + beeftop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,028 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body, acidity and flavor of the soup.
- Corn starch
- Thickens the soup as it heats, giving it a smoother body.
- Beef bone or cold steak
- Adds savory meaty flavor to the broth while it simmers.
The step that matters
Stirring the corn starch slurry into the soup. Corn starch must be mixed with cold water first so it disperses evenly. Added dry or to hot liquid without pre-mixing, it clumps. It only thickens fully once the soup is heated further, so the extra cooking time matters.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (corn, beef):
- Potatofits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Tomatothe original
- Carrotfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against corn, beef. 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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