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 ↓
Soup Stock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the meat from the bone into solid pieces.
Crack the bones.
Put the meat and bones in a soup kettle without salt.
Simmer
Bring the water to a boil.
Skim the surface.
Reduce heat.
Simmer gently for 5 hours, covered.
Skim frequently to remove fat and impurities.
Add a little pepper.
Strain and chill
Strain the stock into a stone jar.
When cool, remove every particle of fat.
Use a porcelain-lined kettle for best results.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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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
- Provides savory flavor and gelatin from the meat and bones, giving the stock body.
- Beef bones
- Release collagen and marrow flavor during long simmering, adding body and richness to the stock.
The step that matters
Keep the simmer gentle and skim often. A rolling boil emulsifies fat and impurities into the liquid, making the stock cloudy and greasy. Gentle simmering and frequent skimming keep it clear.
“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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