Why it works: Tomato and lettuce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,655 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Salad in Winter
Ingredients
Directions
Make the jelly
Drain the juice from the can of tomatoes.
Dissolve the gelatin in the tomato juice to make a jelly.
Mold the jelly and slice it.
Serve
Lay a slice of the jelly on lettuce leaves.
Serve with mayonnaise.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Tomato + lettucetop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,655 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
- Gelatine
- Sets the tomato juice into a firm jelly that holds its shape when sliced.
- Tomatoes
- Provide the juice that becomes the jelly, along with the tomato flavour and acidity.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds fat and creaminess that balances the sharp, acidic tomato jelly.
The step that matters
Dissolving the gelatine in the juice. Gelatine must dissolve completely into the liquid before it sets. Undissolved granules leave lumps and weak spots, so the jelly may not hold its shape when sliced.
“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
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cream Tomato Soup28 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.