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 Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Combine 2 quarts of water or meat broth, 1 pint of tomatoes, 3 tablespoons of rolled oats, and 1 heaping tablespoon of minced onions in a large pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Let it simmer for at least 1 hour.
Stir in 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Add 1 cup of rich milk or cream.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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.
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oatstop 13% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together136 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Meat + oatstop 14% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together198 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body, acidity and flavor of the soup.
- Rolled oats
- Thicken the soup as they simmer and soften, giving it body.
- Baking soda
- Neutralizes tomato acidity, which helps keep the milk from curdling.
- Rich milk or cream
- Adds richness, smoothness and a creamy texture to the soup.
The step that matters
Stir in 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Baking soda reacts with the tomato acid and foams noticeably. Add it to the simmering base before the milk, since acid in the hot tomatoes can curdle milk if it is added to the tomatoes directly.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, tomato, oats, milk, pepper):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Asparagusbetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, tomato, oats, milk, pepper. 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.
More tomato soup recipes
You might also like
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Meat Croquettes52 recipes
Meatballs37 recipes
Mince Meat37 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.