Why it works: Pepper and parsley 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 ↓
Oyster Chowder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the stock and liquor
Strain the stock.
Heat the stock in a frying kettle with the bread crumbs.
Heat the oyster liquor in another pot until it simmers.
Cook the oysters and milk
Add the chopped oysters to the pot.
Cook for 20 minutes.
Scald the milk in a third pot.
Stir in the floured butter.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Pour the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs.
Finish and serve
Set the mixture aside in hot water.
Combine the oyster liquor with the stock and crumbs.
Add parsley and seasoning.
Pour the milk and egg mixture into the pot.
Ensure the mixture does not boil.
Let it stand in hot water for 3 minutes.
Serve promptly in a hot tureen with a pinch of cayenne.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Milk + breadtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour 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
- Oysters
- Provide the main flavor and tender, briny body of the chowder.
- Milk
- Adds creaminess and a soft, rich texture to the broth.
- Eggs
- Thicken the chowder as they gently set with heat.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb liquid and help thicken the base of the chowder.
- Butter
- Adds richness and, with flour, forms a base that thickens the liquid.
- Flour
- Combines with butter to thicken the liquid smoothly.
The step that matters
Keep the egg and milk mixture from boiling. Egg proteins set and curdle when overheated, so the mixture turns grainy instead of smooth and thick. Holding it just below a boil and in hot water lets the eggs thicken it gently.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (oyster, milk, egg, pepper, bread, butter, flour):
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Capersfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against oyster, milk, egg, pepper, bread, butter, flour. 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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