Why it works: Asparagus and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,026 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Asparagus
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.
Cook the asparagus
Wash the asparagus carefully and tie it in bundles.
Place it in boiling salted water with the tips up.
Boil for about 20 minutes until tender.
Assemble and serve
Dip slices of dry toast in the asparagus water and spread with butter.
Lay the toast on a large platter and place the asparagus on top with tips towards the ends.
Season with additional butter and salt.
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 + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,026 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
- Asparagus
- Forms the main vegetable component, becoming tender when boiled.
- Dry toast
- Provides a crisp base that soaks up the asparagus water and butter.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavor, melting over the toast and asparagus.
The step that matters
Boil for about 20 minutes until tender. Asparagus can turn mushy if overcooked, while undercooked spears stay fibrous. Checking for tenderness near the suggested time helps keep a firm but tender texture.
“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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