Why it works: Shallot and ketchup work together. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 476 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Beef Steaks
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the steaks from the rump.
Broil the steaks over a clear fire.
Rub a hot dish with the shallot.
Pour the ketchup into the dish.
Turn the steaks often while broiling to keep the juices in.
Rub a bit of butter on the steaks just before serving.
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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Shallot + ketchuptop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together476 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Shallot + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Ketchup + buttertop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,784 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Steaks
- Provide the main protein, which browns on the surface under the broiler's direct heat.
- Shallot
- Adds a mild onion aroma to the hot dish.
- Ketchup
- Adds sweetness and acidity to the dish.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a glossy finish to the steaks.
The step that matters
Turning the steaks while broiling. Turning often helps the steaks cook evenly and keeps the surface from overcooking and drying. Juices stay in mainly because the meat is not overcooked, not because turning seals them.
Swap the shallot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ketchup, butter):
- Shallotthe original
- Onionfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Horseradishfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against ketchup, butter. 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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