Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Potato Salad
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the diced potatoes, shredded celery, chopped hard boiled eggs, minced onion, salt, and pepper, then mix well and add the cooked mayonnaise and whipped sweet cream.
Just before serving, fold in the chilled chopped cucumbers.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Celery + cucumbertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,745 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the salad and give it a soft, starchy body.
- Hard boiled eggs
- Add richness and a soft, creamy texture to the salad.
- Cooked mayonnaise
- Adds fat and moisture that bind the salad and carry its flavour.
- Whipped sweet cream
- Adds lightness and a smooth, airy richness to the dressing.
The step that matters
Fold in the cucumbers just before serving. Cucumbers release water over time, which thins the dressing and makes the salad watery. Adding them last, and keeping them chilled, keeps the texture crisp and the dressing thick.
Swap the cucumber
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, celery, egg, onion, pepper, cream):
- Spinachfits better
- Chivefits better
- Carrotfits better
- Cucumberthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, celery, egg, onion, pepper, cream. 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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