Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Eggs Upon Toast
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Melt a good amount of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Whisk together the eggs, then stir in pepper, salt, and chopped parsley.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir for three minutes until cooked.
Prepare slices of buttered toast, cutting them into rounds before toasting.
Assemble and serve
Spread the toast thickly with minced tongue, chicken, or ham.
Top the toast with mounds of the cooked eggs.
Serve on a hot dish garnished with parsley and pickled beets.
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.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Egg + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Bread + chickentop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,258 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set when cooked to form the soft, creamy mounds that top the toast.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour to the pan and the buttered toast.
- Minced tongue, chicken, or ham
- Provides savoury, meaty flavour and a substantial layer on the toast.
- Bread
- Forms the crisp base that holds the egg and meat toppings.
The step that matters
Stirring the eggs over medium heat. Eggs turn from tender to rubbery when overcooked, because proteins tighten under high or prolonged heat. Stirring gently over medium heat keeps the curds soft and moist.
“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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