Why it works: Beef and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,448 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Combine the beef and water in a large pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Simmer for 2 hours, or until the liquid reduces to just over 2 quarts.
Finish the soup
Stir in the canned tomatoes.
Simmer slowly for an additional 45 minutes.
Season with coarse sea salt to taste.
Strain the soup.
Serve.
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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Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,448 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
- Beef
- Gives the soup its meaty flavor and body as it simmers in the broth.
- Canned tomatoes
- Add acidity, sweetness and body, forming the soup's main flavor base.
The step that matters
Simmering the broth down to just over 2 quarts. Reducing the liquid slowly concentrates the flavor of the beef. Simmering too hard can make the broth cloudy and greasy, so keep the heat low and steady.
“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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