Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Broiled Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Slice the tomatoes into thick pieces.
Broil
Place the slices on a grill over hot coals and broil on both sides.
Finish and serve
Dip each broiled piece in melted butter mixed with salt, pepper, and mustard.
Briefly place each piece on a hot griddle.
Serve hot, drizzled with the remaining seasoned 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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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + mustardtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,482 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Tomato + buttertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,918 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body and juicy flesh that softens and concentrates under heat.
- Butter
- Adds richness and carries the seasoning over the hot tomato surface.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp, tangy flavour that contrasts with the sweetness of the cooked tomato.
The step that matters
Broiling on both sides over hot coals. Turning the slices so both faces brown and soften evenly builds flavour through caramelisation and drives off surface moisture; too little heat or time leaves the tomato watery and pale.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, butter, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Carrotfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, butter, pepper. 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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