Why it works: Celery and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,810 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Mix all ingredients in the order given and beat thoroughly.
Shape the croquettes
Shape the mixture into smooth balls using about 1 tablespoon per croquette.
Roll each ball on a board until it reaches the desired length and flatten the ends.
Coat and fry
Dip each croquette in breadcrumbs, then in the egg yolk, and again in breadcrumbs.
Fry in deep fat for one minute and drain on brown paper.
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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Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Riced potatoes
- Provide the bulk and soft, moist body of the croquette filling.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender, smooth texture in the filling.
- Egg yolk
- Binds the mixture and helps the coating adhere for a firm exterior.
The step that matters
Frying in deep fat. Frying for only one minute is brief, so the fat must be hot enough to brown the breadcrumb coating quickly. Too cool a fat lets the croquette soak up oil and the coating turn greasy before it browns.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, celery, butter, pepper, egg, parsley):
- Carrotfits better
- Chivefits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, celery, butter, pepper, egg, parsley. 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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