Why it works: Butter and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,962 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
53 Cheese Straws
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Mix lard, flour, butter, and salt well.
Add grated cheese and wet with ice water until the mixture resembles pie crust.
Shape and bake
Roll the dough thin and cut into strips ½ inch wide and 5 inches long.
Sprinkle with additional cheese and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until golden.
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 + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + cheesetop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,860 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they 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
- Lard
- Fat coats flour particles, shortening the dough for a tender, crumbly texture.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the dough once moistened and rolled.
- Butter
- Adds flavor and, in small pieces, helps create flaky layers as it stays solid.
- Grated cheese
- Adds savory flavor and, as it melts and toasts, promotes browning on the surface.
The step that matters
Wetting the dough with ice water. Adding too much water or overworking the dough lets gluten develop, making the straws tough instead of crisp. Add the ice water gradually, just until the dough holds together, and keep the fats cold so they stay in pieces that create flakiness.
“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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