Why it works: Peas and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,331 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Gkeen Peas
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Shell the peas and soak them in very cold water for 15 minutes.
Cook
Cook the peas in plenty of boiling salted water for 30 minutes.
Drain the peas in a colander and shake gently to remove excess water.
Finish and serve
Transfer the peas to a heated deep dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Stir in 4 tablespoons of butter using a fork until well combined.
Serve while hot.
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.
-
Peas + peppertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,331 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Peas + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,887 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fresh green peas
- Provide the main body and sweet, vegetal flavor of the dish.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, glossy coating on the peas.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, butter):
- Walnutfits better
- Black-eyed peafits better
- Almondfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, butter. 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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