Why it works: Beef and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,971 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Consomme or Plain Meat Stock for Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the stock
Combine the beef, broken bones, and cold water in a large pot.
Slowly bring to a boil over low heat.
Simmer for 3 to 4 hours until the liquid reduces by half, then stir in the salt.
Strain the stock into a covered earthenware dish to cool.
Once cooled, remove the fat from the top.
Add vegetables and season
Take 1 quart of stock and add 1 quart of boiling water and desired vegetables.
Boil for 3 hours.
Season with salt and pepper.
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.
-
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
- Beef
- Breaks down during simmering to add body and savory depth to the stock.
- Broken bones
- Release gelatin and minerals that give the stock a fuller, silkier body.
- Vegetables
- Add sweetness and aroma to the stock as they cook in it.
The step that matters
Bring to a boil slowly and keep the simmer gentle. Heating slowly over low heat and then simmering keeps fat and proteins from being churned into the liquid. Vigorous boiling emulsifies them, which makes the stock cloudy and greasy.
“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.
More beef stock recipes
You might also like
Roast Beef211 recipes
Beef Loaf175 recipes
Corned Beef87 recipes
Beef Broth67 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.