Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,283 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Cream of Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
In a double boiler, heat the milk.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour and butter together.
Once the milk is boiling, add the flour and butter mixture.
Make the tomato base
Cook the tomatoes for twenty minutes, then strain them.
Add the baking soda, sugar, salt, and pepper to the strained tomatoes.
Combine and serve
Combine the tomato mixture with the milk and serve immediately.
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.
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Forms the creamy liquid base that gives the soup its body and richness.
- Butter
- Adds fat and smooth mouthfeel, and combines with the flour to help thicken.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk as it heats, giving the soup a smoother, heavier texture.
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main flavor and acidity of the soup.
- Baking soda
- Neutralizes some of the tomato acidity, reducing the risk of the milk curdling.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the tomatoes.
The step that matters
Combining the tomato mixture with the milk. Tomatoes are acidic, and acid combined with heated milk can cause the milk proteins to curdle. Baking soda helps offset this acidity, and serving immediately keeps the soup smooth.
“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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cream Tomato Soup28 recipes
Tomato Fritters23 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.