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 together and beat thoroughly.
Let cool.
Shape and coat
Shape the mixture into cylinders.
Roll in breadcrumbs.
Dip in egg.
Roll in breadcrumbs again.
Fry and serve
Fry in deep fat until golden brown.
Drain.
Garnish.
Serve.
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).
-
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).
-
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + celerytop 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
- Form the bulk of the mixture and give the croquettes their soft, fluffy interior.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender texture in the potato mixture.
- Egg yolk
- Binds the mixture so the croquettes hold their shape while frying.
- Grated onion
- Adds aroma and savory flavor to the potato mixture.
The step that matters
Let cool before shaping. Warm, soft potato mixture is too loose to hold a cylinder shape. Cooling firms it so the croquettes keep their form through breading and frying.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, pepper, celery, parsley, egg):
- Carrotfits better
- Chivefits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, pepper, celery, 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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