Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Corned-beef Hash
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.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
Stir in the chopped corned beef and diced potatoes.
Cook until heated through and slightly crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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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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Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 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
- Corned beef
- Provides the savory meat base and salty, beefy flavor that defines the hash.
- Potatoes
- Supply starch and body, and crisp on the hot pan to add texture.
- Onion
- Adds sweetness and aroma as it softens and mellows in the butter.
- Butter
- Carries heat evenly across the pan and adds richness and browning flavor.
The step that matters
Cook until heated through and slightly crispy. The hash needs enough contact with a hot, mostly dry pan for the potatoes and meat to brown. Stirring too often or crowding the pan traps steam, leaving the hash soft instead of crisp.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, potato, butter, pepper):
- Onionthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, potato, butter, 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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