Name: Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients: 4 ripe tomatoes; 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil; Salt and pepper to taste; ¼ cup breadcrumbs

Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

4 ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup breadcrumbs

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare the tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Peel the tomatoes and cut a small piece off the top.
Remove a little of the pulp from each tomato.
Place a piece of butter or a few drops of oil inside each tomato.
Dust with salt and pepper, then replace the tops.

Top and bake

Sprinkle the tops with breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.
Add a small piece of butter or a little oil on top of each tomato.
Place the tomatoes on slices of bread.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Tomato + buttertop 22% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,918 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

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 and juice that softens and flavours the filling as they roast.
Butter or olive oil: Adds fat that carries flavour and helps the tops and interior brown and turn tender.
Breadcrumbs: Form a crisp, golden topping that browns in the oven and absorbs some juices.