Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 27,232 recipes mention both. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the tomatoes in boiling water for 20 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a colander.
Add baking soda, milk, salt, pepper, and butter to the strained tomatoes.
For variation, use soup stock instead of milk and add fried bread dice instead of rolled crackers.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + breadtop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,013 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + breadtop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main flavor, body, and tangy acidity of the soup.
- Baking soda
- Neutralizes some of the tomato's acidity, which helps keep the milk from curdling.
- Milk
- Adds creaminess and softens the sharp tomato flavor.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda and milk to the tomatoes. Tomatoes are acidic, and acid can make milk curdle when the two are combined. Baking soda neutralizes some of that acid, which helps the soup stay smooth. Adding the ingredients together without care can still cause separation, so stir gently and keep the soup from boiling hard after the milk goes in.
“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.
More tomato soup recipes
You might also like
Brown Bread461 recipes
White Bread80 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Bread Omelette60 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.