Why it works: Onion and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Goose, Roast
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare and truss the goose.
Stuff the body with onion stuffing.
Baste the goose well with hot fat.
Roast
Roast or bake for 2 to 2½ hours, depending on size and age.
Baste frequently; if not browned, dredge with flour when three-quarters cooked.
Serve
Remove the trussing string and serve on a hot dish.
Serve gravy and apple sauce in sauceboats.
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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Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + appletop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,206 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + saucetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together10,474 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Beef + appletop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + saucetop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,650 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Onion and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 10,474 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Goose
- Is the main cooked meat; its fat bastes and crisps the skin as it roasts.
- Onion stuffing
- Fills the cavity, adding moisture and flavour to the meat as it cooks.
- Beef stock or gravy
- Forms the savoury liquid served with the goose, adding moisture and rich flavour.
- Flour (in the method)
- Dredged over the goose late in roasting to help the surface brown.
The step that matters
Baste frequently during roasting. Goose has a lot of fat under the skin, and basting coats the surface with hot fat, which helps it brown and stay moist. Letting the surface dry out can leave the skin pale and tough.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, beef, sauce):
- Avocadofits better
- Coconutfits better
- Limefits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, beef, sauce. 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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