Why it works: Thyme and parsley 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 ↓
Pot-au-feu
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
In a large pot, place the beef and cover it with water.
Add the chopped vegetables, onion, and bouquet garni.
Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer and serve
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender.
Remove the meat and vegetables, slice the meat, and serve with the broth.
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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Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Leek + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together360 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Carrot + leektop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,310 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
- Beef
- Slow simmering turns the tough cut tender and flavours the broth.
- Leeks
- Add a mild, sweet onion-like flavour to the broth.
- Carrots
- Contribute sweetness and colour to the broth and vegetables.
- Potatoes
- Absorb broth flavour and become soft, adding body to the dish.
- Onion
- Adds savoury depth and aroma to the broth.
The step that matters
Simmering the beef. Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil. Vigorous boiling toughens the meat and makes the broth cloudy, while slow simmering lets collagen break down so the meat becomes tender.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, carrot, potato, leek, thyme, parsley, pepper):
- Parsnipfits better
- Turnipfits better
- Chivefits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, carrot, potato, leek, thyme, parsley, pepper. 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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