Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Fricassee
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the veal
Cut the veal into four parts.
Dip each piece in an egg, then coat with flour.
Cook and serve
Fry the veal until golden brown.
If desired, fry onions in butter to serve alongside.
Serve with sauce made from the cooking liquor.
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 + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Onion + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Veal
- Is the main protein that is cut, coated and fried until tender and golden.
- Egg
- Binds the flour coating to the veal so it adheres during frying.
- Flour
- Forms a dry coating that browns during frying and gives a crisp exterior.
- Butter
- Adds fat for frying the onions, contributing richness and browning.
The step that matters
Fry the veal until golden brown. Frying over heat browns the flour coating through the Maillard reaction, creating flavor and color. Too little heat or overcrowding the pan steams the pieces, leaving them pale and soggy.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, egg, flour, butter, pepper):
- Shallotfits better
- Chivefits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, egg, flour, butter, pepper. 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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