Why it works: Cheese and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and 7,861 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Eggs Au Gratin
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake and serve
Break 6 eggs into a baking dish.
Sprinkle grated cheese, coarse sea salt, and black pepper over the eggs.
Bake until set and serve in the same dish.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Cheese + peppertop 18% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together7,861 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Egg + cheesetop 28% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,253 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper share little aroma chemistry, yet 50,580 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Eggs
- Set to a firm, sliceable texture when baked, forming the body of the dish.
- Grated cheese
- Melts and browns on top, adding richness and a savory crust.
The step that matters
Bake until set. Eggs set as their proteins coagulate with heat. Pulling the dish too early leaves runny whites and liquid yolks, while overbaking makes the eggs rubbery and dry.
“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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