Potato Salad

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.

1. Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together9,023 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

2. Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,226 recipes

   Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

3. Potato + creamtop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together2,481 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

4. Onion + creamtop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together10,827 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

5. Potato + vinegartop 20% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,608 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Onion and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 10,827 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Potatoes

Provide the bulk and body of the salad.

Eggs

Egg yolks mashed into the dressing add richness and creaminess.

Sour cream

Adds moisture and tangy creaminess to bind the dressing.

Vinegar

Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness.

Onion

Adds sharp, aromatic flavour throughout the salad.

Swap the potato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, onion, cream, vinegar):

1. Chivefits about as well
2. Mustardfits about as well
3. Horseradishfits about as well
4. Potatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, onion, cream, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.