Why it works: Beef and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,232 recipes. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Beef Stew
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
In a large bowl, combine the beef, salt, pepper, mushrooms, onions, and bacon. Mix well.
Add the claret and thick gravy to the mixture and stir to combine.
Transfer the mixture into a cooking bag and seal it.
Bake and serve
Cook in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for one hour.
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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Beef + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,232 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mushroom + red winetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together720 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (smoky, clove).
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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mushroom + oniontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,626 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tender beef
- Provides the main protein, which becomes tender through long, moist cooking in the bag.
- Bacon
- Adds fat and smoky flavour that carries through the stew as it cooks.
- Claret (red wine)
- Adds acidity and depth of flavour that helps balance the rich gravy.
- Thick gravy
- Supplies liquid and body, keeping the stew moist and giving it a thick sauce.
- Mushrooms
- Contribute savory, earthy flavour and moisture as they release juices into the stew.
The step that matters
Seal the cooking bag fully. A tight seal traps steam and liquid around the beef, so it cooks in moist heat and stays tender. A leaking bag lets moisture escape and can leave the meat dry.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, mushroom, red wine):
- Tomatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Shallotfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, mushroom, red wine. 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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