Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and 124,287 recipes mention both. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare the tomatoes by peeling and quartering them, removing the core and seeds.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then stir in the flour to make a roux.
Gradually add the water, stirring until smooth.
Add the prepared tomatoes and seasoning, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Serve hot.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Tomato + buttertop 22% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,918 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Tomato + flourtop 22% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together7,065 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body, flavour and liquid of the sauce.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness to the roux and carries flavour.
- Flour
- Thickens the sauce by forming a roux with the melted butter.
The step that matters
Make the roux. Flour must be cooked in melted butter long enough to lose its raw taste and to thicken evenly. Adding water gradually and stirring keeps the sauce smooth without lumps.
“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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