Why it works: Tomato and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and 5,398 recipes mention both. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Cream of Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the tomatoes
Stew the tomatoes with the bay leaf, parsley, and mace for 15 minutes.
Press the tomatoes through a sieve.
Make the soup
Boil the milk in a double boiler.
Rub together the Cottolene and flour, then add to the boiling milk, stirring constantly until thickened.
Add the sugar and baking soda to the tomatoes, then mix in the boiling milk.
Stir and serve immediately. Do not heat after mixing.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Tomato + parsleytop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,398 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Parsley + macetop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together4,268 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Milk and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 78,219 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Forms the creamy base of the soup.
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main flavor and acidity of the soup.
- Cottolene
- Fat that enriches the soup and carries flavor.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a smooth, creamy body.
- Baking soda
- Neutralizes some tomato acidity and keeps the milk from curdling.
The step that matters
Adding the boiling milk to the tomatoes. Tomato acid can curdle hot milk, so the mixture should not be heated after the milk and tomatoes are combined. Baking soda helps buffer the acid, and gentle handling keeps the soup smooth.
Flavor stand-ins for the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, tomato, parsley, sugar, flour):
- Cinnamonbetter flavor fit
- Cardamombetter flavor fit
- Nutmegbetter flavor fit
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, tomato, parsley, sugar, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cream Tomato Soup28 recipes
Tomato Fritters23 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.