Why it works: Onion and clove are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,901 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Macaroni
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Break macaroni into short lengths or cut into small rings.
Cook
Boil macaroni in water for 10 minutes if using cut macaroni.
Boil macaroni in water or veal broth before adding to soup.
If using clear stock, boil macaroni in good broth until tender, then drain.
Add to soup
For soup, add 4 oz of macaroni to 2 quarts of stock.
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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Onion + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,901 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
-
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + clovetop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,045 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Provides starchy body and bite, thickening the soup slightly as it cooks.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel to the dish.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, onion):
- Garlicfits better
- Capersfits better
- Thymefits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, onion. 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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