Why it works: Pepper and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 85,593 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Fried Steaks
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Place a frying pan over high heat.
Dry the steaks with a napkin.
Rub salt and black pepper on both sides of the steaks.
Cook and serve
Lay the steaks in the frying pan.
Cook for 2 minutes, then turn the steaks to brown the other side.
After 4 minutes, remove the steaks and place them on a platter.
Top with a bit of butter and cover for a few moments.
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 + buttertop 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
- Steaks
- Form the main protein; their surface browns and their interior cooks through during frying.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour when spooned over the hot steaks at the end.
The step that matters
Turning the steaks after 2 minutes. Searing over high heat browns the surface through the Maillard reaction, which needs a dry surface and direct contact with the hot pan. Turning once at the set time gives an even crust without overcooking the outside.
“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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