Why it works: Thyme and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Pot Au Feu
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
In a large pot, combine the beef, carrots, potatoes, onion, celery, and bouquet garni.
Cover with water and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender.
Serve
Remove the meat and vegetables, strain the broth, and 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.
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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Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,173 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Provides the main protein, which becomes tender and flavours the broth during long simmering.
- Carrots
- Add sweetness and body to the broth as they soften during simmering.
- Potatoes
- Absorb flavour from the broth and become soft and starchy as they cook.
- Onion
- Adds savoury depth and aroma to the broth.
- Celery
- Contributes aroma and savoury flavour to the broth.
The step that matters
Simmering gently after the boil. A rolling boil toughens meat proteins and makes the broth cloudy, while a gentle simmer lets collagen slowly break down so the beef becomes tender and the broth clear.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, carrot, potato, celery, thyme, parsley, pepper):
- Parsnipfits better
- Turnipfits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, carrot, potato, celery, thyme, parsley, pepper. 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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