Why it works: Carrot and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 21,601 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Bouillon
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the beef or veal, carrots, onions, bacon, and ½ cup of water.
Simmer for 30 minutes or until it begins to stick to the pan.
Add 1 pint of water and boil gently for another 30 minutes.
Skim the surface carefully and strain through a sieve.
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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Carrot + oniontop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together21,601 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + carrottop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,606 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
- Beef or veal
- Provides the main meat flavor and dissolves gelatin into the broth as it cooks.
- Bacon
- Adds smoky, savory fat that enriches the broth's aroma and taste.
- Onions
- Contribute sweetness and aromatic depth as they soften during simmering.
- Carrots
- Add gentle sweetness and body to the broth's overall flavor.
The step that matters
Simmer gently and skim the surface. Vigorous boiling emulsifies fat and cloudies the broth, while gentle simmering keeps it clear. Skimming removes foam and excess fat that would otherwise muddy the flavor.
Swap the carrot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, onion):
- Potatofits better
- Chivefits better
- Leekfits about as well
- Carrotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, onion. 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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