Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Potato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Boil the potatoes and onions until soft; onions take about twice as long as potatoes.
Wipe out the pot used for boiling, then mash the onions in it.
Combine and serve
Slice the potatoes and add them to the mashed onions without mashing.
Add the butter, pepper, salt, and vinegar, then stir over low heat until hot.
Serve warm; some prefer it without vinegar.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the bulk and starchy body of the salad, holding their slices when left unmashed.
- Onions
- Add flavor and softness when boiled and mashed into a base for the potatoes.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, fatty mouthfeel that coats the potatoes and onions.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the butter.
The step that matters
Boil the onions long enough. Onions need about twice as long as potatoes to soften fully. If they are underdone, they stay firm and sharp and will not mash into a smooth base for the potatoes.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, butter, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Chivefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, butter, pepper, vinegar. 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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