Why it works: Thyme and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Forcemeat Balls
Ingredients
Directions
Mix and shape
Mix all ingredients together.
Form the mixture into balls the size of a small marble.
Roll the balls in flour.
Brown and serve
Brown the balls in hot fat.
Place 3 or 4 balls in each serving.
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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Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Thyme + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,973 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Thyme + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,171 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cooked meat
- Forms the bulk of the meatball and gives it its main savoury flavour.
- Soft bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and help the mixture hold together without becoming dense.
- Egg yolk
- Acts as a binder that helps the mixture set and hold its shape when cooked.
- Grated onion
- Adds moisture and a mild aromatic flavour to the mixture.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the meat.
The step that matters
Brown the balls in hot fat. Hot fat sears the outside, creating browning and savoury flavour while helping the balls keep their shape. Fat that is not hot enough lets the balls absorb grease and steam instead of browning.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, bread, thyme, lemon, parsley, egg):
- Shallotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, bread, thyme, lemon, parsley, egg. 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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