Name: Almond Celery Salad
Ingredients: 2 cups celery, chopped; 1 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped; 2 cups apples, chopped; Pimento for garnish; ½ cup mayonnaise; ½ cup whipped cream

Why it works: Celery and apple are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,155 recipes. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, which smells clove, smoky. The science ↓

Almond Celery Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Cut the hearts of the celery into tiny pieces.
Cut the apples into pieces the same size as the celery.
Chop the almonds finely.

Assemble and serve

Mix the celery, apples, and almonds together.
Garnish with pimento.
Serve with a dressing made by beating together equal parts of mayonnaise and whipped cream.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Celery + appletop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,155 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Celery + almondtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together485 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Almond + appletop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,025 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,130 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Celery + creamtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,863 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).

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

What each ingredient does

Celery: Provides crisp texture and a fresh, mild flavor to the salad.
Almonds: Add crunch and a nutty flavor that contrasts with the soft apple.
Apples: Add sweetness, moisture and a juicy crunch to the salad.
Mayonnaise: Adds fat and creaminess, binding the dressing and coating the salad.
Whipped cream: Lightens the dressing and adds richness and a smooth, airy texture.