Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 9,023 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté until soft.
Stir in the cooked tomatoes, potato, celery, and rice.
Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer.
Cook until the potato is tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the beaten egg yolk just before serving.
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.
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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3,377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Tomato + potatotop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + ricetop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,065 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potato
- Breaks down as it cooks to give the soup body and a thicker texture.
- Milk
- Adds creaminess and a mild sweetness to the soup base.
- Egg yolk
- Enriches the soup and thickens it gently when stirred in off the heat.
- Rice
- Releases starch as it cooks, helping to thicken the soup.
- Cooked tomatoes
- Provide the main flavour and acidity of the soup.
The step that matters
Stirring in the egg yolk. Egg yolk thickens when heated, so it should be stirred in off the heat just before serving. If the soup is too hot or boils after adding it, the yolk can scramble and curdle, leaving a grainy texture.
Flavor stand-ins for the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, potato, milk, rice, onion, butter, egg):
- Garlicabout as good a flavor fit
- Parsleyabout as good a flavor fit
- Thymeabout as good a flavor fit
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, potato, milk, rice, onion, butter, egg. 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.
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