Why it works: Meat and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,364 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Meat Soups
Ingredients
Directions
Place the meat in a pot with cold water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
Skim off the albumen that rises to the surface until the soup is clear.
Use a granite or enamel-lined kettle for better health and clarity.
Add onions as soon as the soup begins to boil.
If making a thick soup, pre-cook the vermicelli or rice before adding.
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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Meat + oniontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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