Why it works: Bread and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the tomatoes
Wipe the tomatoes and remove a thin slice from the stem end.
Scoop out the inside of the tomatoes.
Sprinkle the insides with salt.
Invert the tomatoes and let stand for a short time.
Make the filling
Cook the onion in butter for 5 minutes.
Add the meat, bread crumbs, tomato pulp, and seasonings.
Cook the mixture for 5 minutes.
Add the slightly beaten egg.
Cook for a moment longer.
Bake and serve
Refill the tomato shells with the mixture.
Cover with buttered crumbs.
Place in a greased pan.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
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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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,031 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Form the edible shell that holds the filling while baking and softens as it cooks.
- Egg
- Binds the filling so it holds together when cooked and sliced.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb the tomato pulp and butter, giving the filling body and a soft texture.
- Cooked chicken or veal
- Adds savory meaty flavor and substance to the filling.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps the onion soften and the crumbs brown.
The step that matters
Adding the beaten egg to the filling. Egg sets when heated, so it must be cooked briefly and then mixed in only after the filling has cooled a little. Over-cooking it can make the filling dry and rubbery, while too little heat leaves it loose and wet.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, bread, butter, pepper, chicken, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, bread, butter, pepper, chicken, 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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