Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup
In a large pot, combine the stock, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and carrots.
Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Finish and serve
In a bowl, beat together the egg, flour, and milk.
Gradually stir in a little hot broth to the egg mixture to temper it.
Return the tempered mixture to the pot, stirring continuously to prevent curdling.
Serve hot.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + carrottop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,107 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Potato + tomatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + carrottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,606 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together21,601 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Break down partly as they cook, giving the soup body and a starchy thickness.
- Egg
- Thickens the soup gently when tempered and stirred in, enriching its texture.
- Flour
- Stabilises the egg and milk mixture so it thickens without curdling as it joins the soup.
- Cabbage
- Adds bulk and a mild sweetness as it cooks down in the stock.
- Tomatoes
- Adds acidity and savoury depth that balances the sweetness of the vegetables.
- Onions
- Build savoury depth and aroma as they soften in the stock.
The step that matters
Return the tempered mixture to the pot. Adding the egg mixture to boiling liquid can scramble the egg and cause curdling. Tempering with hot broth first and stirring constantly keeps it smooth and evenly thickened.
Swap the carrot
The recipe marks carrot as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cabbage, potato, tomato, onion, egg, flour, milk):
- Chivefits better
- Okrafits better
- Leekfits better
- Carrotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cabbage, potato, tomato, onion, egg, flour, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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