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 ↓
Mincep Corned Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove all gristle from the corned beef and chop it very fine.
Add an equal amount of potato and mix together.
Season with salt, pepper, and small bits of butter.
Cook
Place in a frying pan with a little water and stir frequently until very hot.
Let it cook until browned on the bottom.
Serve
Serve on a hot dish and garnish with parsley.
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 + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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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
- Corned beef
- Provides the main savory meat flavour and body of the hash.
- Potato
- Adds starch and bulk, giving the hash a soft, moist texture that holds together.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, helping the hash brown and taste rounder.
The step that matters
Let it cook until browned on the bottom. Browning depends on direct, undisturbed contact with the hot pan. Frequent stirring prevents the crust that gives hash its flavour, so leave it still long enough to brown before flipping or serving.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, potato, pepper, butter):
- Parsleythe original
- Thymefits about as well
- Rosemaryfits less well
- Garlicfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, potato, pepper, 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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