Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Hamburg Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Mince the steak very finely and season well with salt and pepper.
Mix in the chopped parsley, herbs, Worcestershire sauce, and egg.
Form the mixture into balls.
Fry and serve
Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add the balls to the pan and fry until nicely browned, turning occasionally.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional chopped parsley.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together15,338 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Parsley + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,765 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Butter and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 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
- Steak
- Provides the main body and meaty flavor of the patties.
- Egg
- Binds the minced meat so the mixture holds its shape while frying.
- Butter
- Conducts heat in the pan and adds richness and browning to the outside.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Adds savory, tangy depth that seasons the meat throughout.
The step that matters
Fry until nicely browned, turning occasionally. Browning comes from the Maillard reaction between surface proteins and sugars at high enough heat, which creates flavor. Turning occasionally cooks the balls evenly so the outside browns without the centre staying raw.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, egg, butter, sauce):
- Parsleythe original
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Capersfits about as well
- Nutmegfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, egg, butter, 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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