Meat for Sandwiches

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.

1. Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together13,015 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

2. Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,971 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

3. Beef + nutmegtop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,495 recipes

   Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

4. Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together24,744 recipes

   Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

5. Beef + eggtop 31% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together8,305 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 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

Beef

Provides the main body and bulk of the loaf, which sets as it cooks.

Eggs

Bind the meat together and help the loaf hold its shape as it sets.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, egg, pepper):

1. Parsleyfits better
2. Tarragonfits about as well
3. Nutmegthe original
4. Dillfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, egg, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.