Why it works: Pepper and peas are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,331 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Mutton Chops
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Season the mutton chops with salt and pepper.
Dip each chop in the beaten egg, then coat with cracker crumbs.
Fry and serve
Heat the hot lard in a skillet.
Fry the chops until tender and nicely browned on both sides.
Serve with green peas.
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 + peastop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,331 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mutton + peastop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together598 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,442 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Egg + peastop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,065 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Mutton + eggtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,648 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton chops
- The main protein, which becomes tender and browns during frying.
- Beaten egg
- Binds the cracker crumbs to the chops so the coating adheres during frying.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form a crisp, browned coating that protects the meat as it fries.
- Lard
- Conducts heat in the skillet and helps the coating brown evenly and richly.
The step that matters
Fry the chops until tender and nicely browned on both sides. Mutton chops are tough and need enough time over moderate heat to soften, while the coating needs steady heat to brown without burning. Too high a heat scorches the crumbs before the meat is cooked through.
“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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