Why it works: Scarlet bean and butter work together. They rank in the top 75% of all ingredient pairs. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
French, or Scarlet, Beans
Ingredients
Directions
Cut off the stalks and tops of the beans, and remove the strings.
If large, slice them lengthwise into three or more pieces, then cut them across.
For young and small beans, just cut off the tops and tails, and slice them slantwise.
Soak the beans in cold water for 30 minutes.
Boil plenty of salted water, then add the beans and cook until tender.
Drain the beans in a colander and serve with melted butter.
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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Scarlet bean + buttertop 75% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together0 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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