Why it works: Bread and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Cheese Fondu
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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix the whipped eggs and milk together.
Grate the cheese and add it to the mixture.
Grate the bread crumbs on top of the mixture.
Add melted butter, pepper, salt, and baking powder, and mix well.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake until delicately brown.
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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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and help it set into a light, custard-like structure as it bakes.
- Cheese
- Provides rich flavor and fat, and melts into the body of the dish.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness, forming a custard base with the eggs.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb liquid and add body, giving the fondue a firmer texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the heat to lighten the mixture and help it rise.
The step that matters
Bake until delicately brown. Eggs set as they heat, so overbaking can make the fondue dry and rubbery, while underbaking leaves it loose. Watch for a light golden top rather than a deep brown, since the cheese and eggs can toughen with too much heat.
“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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