Why it works: Tomato and lettuce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,655 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the tomatoes
Make a thick mayonnaise dressing with less vinegar.
Choose medium-sized tomatoes and peel them carefully.
Chill the tomatoes on ice for 1 hour.
Core the stem end of each tomato with a corer or sharp knife.
Assemble and serve
Fill the cavity with mayonnaise, heaping it up.
Place the tomatoes on crisp lettuce leaves and serve one to each person.
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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Tomato + lettucetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,655 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
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body and juicy base that holds the mayonnaise filling.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds fat and creamy richness, and its thickness keeps the filling from running out.
- Lettuce leaves
- Offer a crisp, fresh bed that sets off the cold, soft tomato.
The step that matters
Chill the tomatoes on ice for 1 hour. Cold firms the tomato flesh so it holds its shape when filled and does not weep juice into the mayonnaise. Chilling also keeps the dressing from softening, so the salad stays neat and fresh when served.
“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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