Why it works: Meat and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,777 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Soup Stock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the meat into small pieces and break the bones.
Place the meat and bones in a large, tightly covered kettle with cold water.
Let the mixture stand until slightly colored by the meat juices.
Simmer and strain
Slowly bring to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises.
Add a cup of cold water to help remove scum if needed.
Boil gently for 1 hour per pound of meat.
Strain the stock into a bowl or stone jar when done.
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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Meat + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,777 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Meat or bones
- Release flavour, gelatin and body into the water as they simmer for a long time.
The step that matters
Skimming off the scum as the liquid comes to a boil. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities that rise to the surface. Removing it keeps the stock clear and clean-tasting. Bringing the liquid to a boil slowly helps keep the scum from breaking up into the broth.
“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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