Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 17,923 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Slice the ripe tomatoes thinly.
Sprinkle finely chopped green onions over the tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Dress and serve
Drizzle with vinegar and oil in a 1:3 ratio.
Serve with roast meats.
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.
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,814 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
- Ripe tomatoes
- Form the juicy, fresh body of the salad.
- Finely chopped green onions
- Add a sharp, fresh aroma and bite.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor of the tomatoes.
- Oil
- Adds fat that carries flavor and gives a smooth mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Drizzling vinegar and oil in a 1:3 ratio. Oil and vinegar do not mix, so they separate on the tomatoes. The ratio sets the balance between sharp acidity and rich fat, so the proportion determines whether the dressing tastes too sour or too heavy.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Cucumberbetter flavor fit
- Mustardbetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, pepper, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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