Why it works: Parsley and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Potato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the boiled potatoes into slices the thickness of a penny.
Rub a dish with eschalot or garlic.
Arrange the potato slices neatly on the dish.
Dress and serve
Mince equal quantities of capers, parsley, tarragon, and thyme, about 1 tablespoon total.
In a bowl, mix the minced herbs with oil and vinegar in a 2:1 ratio.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
Pour the dressing over the potatoes.
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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Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Capers + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together379 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Tarragon + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together528 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,563 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Capers + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,550 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Form the body of the salad, holding the dressing on their starchy, slightly absorbent surfaces.
- Capers
- Add a sharp, briny bite that contrasts with the mild potatoes.
- Oil
- Carries fat and flavour, giving the dressing a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the oil.
- Tarragon
- Contributes a distinct anise-like aroma to the dressing.
- Thyme
- Adds an earthy, aromatic note to the herb mixture.
The step that matters
Mixing the dressing before pouring. Oil and vinegar separate quickly, so they must be mixed well with the herbs and seasoning before pouring. Otherwise the acid and fat will not coat the potato slices evenly.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (capers, parsley, tarragon, thyme, vinegar, pepper, garlic):
- Shallotfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Chivefits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against capers, parsley, tarragon, thyme, vinegar, pepper, garlic. 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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