Why it works: Pepper and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 50,459 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Ox-liver, Roast
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Wash and dry the liver.
Bake
Place the liver in a deep baking dish and surround it with hot water to a depth of 1 inch.
Cover the liver with slices of bacon.
Bake gently at 350°F (175°C) for about 1½ hours, basting frequently.
Dredge with seasoned flour (salt and pepper) during baking.
If using diced bacon as a garnish, cover it with greased paper while cooking to prevent it from becoming too crisp.
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 + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Liver + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,375 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Liver + flourtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,418 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Liver
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking to a tender, firm texture when baked gently.
- Fat bacon
- Bastes the liver with melting fat, adding moisture and savory flavor while it bakes.
- Flour
- Dredged onto the surface, it helps form a light, browned crust on the liver.
The step that matters
Baking gently with frequent basting. Liver is lean and dense, so high heat or long cooking dries and toughens it. Gentle heat with regular basting keeps moisture in and the texture tender.
“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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