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Beef Loaf

A baked loaf of lean beef mixed with cracker powder, butter, cream, eggs, spices, and baked.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Beef Loaf

Why it works: Nutmeg and marjoram match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 687 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Beef Loaf

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

  2. In a large bowl, mix the beef, cracker powder, softened butter, sweet cream, beaten eggs, grated nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and marjoram until well combined.

  3. Knead the mixture well and shape it into two rolls on a floured surface.

Bake

  1. Place the rolls in a baking pan with a little water and butter.

  2. Bake for 1.5 hours, basting frequently.

  3. When browned on one side, turn the rolls.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Nutmeg + marjoramtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together687 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Pepper + marjoramtop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,609 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13,015 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,971 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lean chopped beef
Forms the main body of the loaf and sets firm as it cooks.
Eggs
Bind the mixture together and help the loaf hold its shape when cooked.
Crackers
Absorb liquid and give the loaf body, so it stays tender rather than dense.
Sweet cream
Adds moisture and richness, keeping the loaf from drying out.
Butter
Adds fat for flavor and moisture, and helps the surface brown.

The step that matters

Basting during the long bake. Beef loaf dries out over 1.5 hours of oven heat. Regular basting with the liquid and butter in the pan keeps the surface moist and encourages even browning.

Swap the marjoram

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, butter, cream, egg, nutmeg, pepper):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Tarragonfits better
  4. Marjoramthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, butter, cream, egg, nutmeg, pepper. 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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