Why it works: Butter and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 85,593 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Broiled Steak
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.
Prepare
Wipe the steak, trim off excess fat, and remove the bone.
Grease the grill with some of the fat.
Cook and serve
Broil over a clear fire, turning every ten seconds.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes for rare, longer for well done.
Serve on a hot platter, season with salt, butter, and pepper if desired.
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.
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Butter + peppertop 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
- Steak
- Is the main cut that is broiled, so its thickness and doneness set the cooking time.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture when served over the hot steak.
The step that matters
Turning every ten seconds over a clear fire. Frequent turning on a hot, clear fire cooks the steak evenly and helps prevent the outside from charring before the centre is done. Letting flames touch the meat for long stretches can scorch it and leave the surface bitter.
“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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