Why it works: Pepper and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 85,593 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Porterhouse Steak
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
Preheat the grill or broiler to high heat.
Season the Porterhouse steak with salt and pepper on both sides.
Cook and serve
Place the steak on the grill or under the broiler.
Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
Remove from heat and let it rest for a few minutes.
Serve with a pat of butter on top.
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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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Porterhouse steak
- Is the main cut; its fat and muscle cook to the doneness the time and heat produce.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth fat finish that melts over the hot steak.
The step that matters
Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Thickness, heat and steak weight change how fast the centre reaches medium-rare, so the time is only a guide. Checking the centre with a thermometer, rather than relying on time alone, helps avoid overcooking. Resting after cooking lets juices redistribute through the meat.
“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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