Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Chop the cold boiled potatoes.
In a bowl, mix the salt, pepper, parsley, grated onion, vinegar, and oil or melted butter.
Pour the mixture over the potatoes.
Let it stand for half an hour before serving.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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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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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 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
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the salad, providing the body and texture of the dish.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the oil or butter.
- Oil or melted butter
- Adds fat that carries flavor and coats the potato pieces for a richer mouthfeel.
- Grated onion
- Contributes sharp aroma and pungent flavor throughout the salad.
The step that matters
Let it stand for half an hour before serving.. Warm or cool potatoes absorb the dressing as they rest, so the flavors soak in and blend. Serving straight away leaves the dressing sitting on the surface.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, pepper, parsley, vinegar, butter):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Chivefits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, pepper, parsley, vinegar, butter. 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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