Why it works: Asparagus and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,968 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Omelet with Vegetables
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cook the vegetables until well done and dry.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Cook the omelet
Pour the eggs into the skillet and cook until the edges begin to set.
Add the cooked vegetables on one half of the omelet.
Fold the omelet over the vegetables and cook until fully set.
Serve
Serve with a border of the vegetables around the omelet.
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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Asparagus + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,968 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Asparagus + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,338 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Asparagus + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,026 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into a tender structure that holds the filling together when cooked.
- Vegetables
- Add bulk, flavor and texture to the filling inside the omelet.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps prevent the eggs from sticking to the skillet.
The step that matters
Dry the cooked vegetables before adding them. Excess moisture from the vegetables thins the egg mixture and can make the omelet weep or turn soggy, so the vegetables should be well cooked and dry before they go in.
Swap the asparagus
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, butter):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Asparagusthe original
- Chivefits about as well
- Potatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, butter. 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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