Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Bacon Omelet, German
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Fry the bacon with the onion until cooked.
Add the mixed herbs and cook briefly.
Make and cook the omelet
Melt the butter in the pan.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and milk together, then add the sieved potatoes.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir until it begins to brown.
Leave the omelet to finish cooking, taking care not to burn it.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set when heated, giving the omelet its structure and body.
- Sieved potatoes
- Add starch and softness, giving a tender, moist texture to the omelet.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and makes the egg mixture softer and more tender.
- Bacon
- Adds fat and savoury flavour to the filling.
- Butter
- Adds fat and flavour and helps the omelet brown in the pan.
The step that matters
Leave the omelet to finish cooking, taking care not to burn it.. Egg proteins set quickly over steady heat, and high heat makes the base scorch before the top is set. Gentle heat keeps the omelet tender and evenly cooked.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, egg, milk, pepper, butter):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Chivefits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, egg, milk, pepper, 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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