Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Potato Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Boil the potatoes until tender, then mash them finely.
Beat the mashed potatoes with the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Add the lemon rind, lemon juice, and salt to the potato mixture and stir well.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour in the milk or cream and mix until combined.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 1.5 hours.
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Potato + lemontop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,230 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Lemon + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the starchy bulk that gives the pudding its body and soft, tender crumb.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help set the custard-like texture as the pudding bakes.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they add lightness and help the pudding rise and hold air.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, more tender texture.
- Milk or cream
- Adds moisture and liquid richness so the mixture bakes into a soft, creamy pudding.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and contributes to browning on the baked surface.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whites are whipped to stiff peaks to trap air. Stirring them in vigorously knocks that air out, so the pudding bakes denser and rises less. Fold gently with a spatula to keep the lightness.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, lemon, milk):
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Sweet potatofits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Leekfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, lemon, milk. 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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