Why it works: Celery and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 33% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,794 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Celery Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Split the celery into 2-inch pieces and wash them well.
Drain the celery on a sieve.
Simmer
In a large pot, combine the celery and water.
Set the pot by the fire to simmer gently for about 1 hour until the celery is tender.
Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Season with salt to taste.
If using celery seed, add it along with a little sugar 15 minutes before the soup is done.
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.
-
Celery + sugartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,794 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Celery
- Provides the main flavor and body of the soup as it softens in the water.
- Celery seed
- Adds an concentrated celery aroma to the finished soup.
The step that matters
Skim off scum as it rises. Scum is coagulated proteins and impurities released during simmering. Removing it keeps the broth clear and prevents a bitter, muddy taste.
“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.
More celery soup recipes
You might also like
Celery Stew25 recipes
Celery Croquettes16 recipes
Celery Cream Soup15 recipes
Celery Seed Infusion10 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.