Name: Leg of Beef, or Shin of Beef Soup
Ingredients: 6 pounds leg or shin of beef; 6 quarts cold water; 2-3 turnips, according to size; 2-3 carrots, according to size; 2-3 onions, according to size; 2 heads of celery; 1 bunch of parsley; 3-4 sprigs of lemon thyme; 3-4 sprigs of winter savory; 10 allspice berries; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Why it works: Parsley and thyme 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 ↓

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.

Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,057 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,053 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,037 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,173 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Lemon + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,973 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef leg or shin: Provides the main protein, and its connective tissue softens into tender meat and gelatin over long simmering.
Turnips: Add mild sweetness and body to the broth as they cook down.
Carrots: Add natural sweetness and color to the broth.
Onions: Add savory depth and aromatic flavor to the broth.
Celery: Adds a fresh, savory aroma that rounds out the broth.

The step that matters

Skimming the scum as it comes to a boil. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities released from the meat. Removing it early keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting rather than cloudy or greasy.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, turnip, carrot, celery, parsley, lemon, thyme):

Parsnipfits better
Leekfits better
Shallotfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, turnip, carrot, celery, parsley, lemon, thyme. 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.

Leg of Beef, or Shin of Beef Soup