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 Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
In a bowl, mix the hot riced potato, melted butter, salt, celery salt, pepper, cayenne, onion juice, and egg yolks in the order given.
Beat the mixture thoroughly until well combined.
Shape the mixture into small croquettes.
Coat and fry
Dip each croquette in breadcrumbs, then in beaten eggs, and again in breadcrumbs.
Fry the croquettes in deep fat until golden brown, then drain on brown paper.
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 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).
-
Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Riced potato
- Forms the bulk of the croquette and gives a soft, fluffy interior.
- Egg yolks
- Bind the mixture so the croquettes hold their shape when fried.
- Melted butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the soft interior.
The step that matters
Fry in deep fat until golden brown. The coating needs enough heat to brown quickly, so the outside sets and crisps before the soft interior absorbs too much oil or falls apart.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, pepper, onion, egg):
- Parsleyfits better
- Garlicfits better
- Thymefits better
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, pepper, onion, egg. 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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