Why it works: Cheese and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,426 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the white sauce
Melt the oleomargarine in a saucepan.
Add the flour mixed with salt and pepper, stirring until blended.
Gradually pour in the milk, stirring until well mixed.
Beat the mixture until smooth and glossy.
Add the cheese
Add the cheese mixed with baking soda and stir until blended.
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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Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cheese + peppertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,861 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a smooth sauce as its starch swells when heated.
- Oleomargarine
- Fat that coats the flour so it blends smoothly and forms the base of the sauce.
- Milk
- Liquid that hydrates the flour and forms the body of the sauce.
- Cheese
- Provides the main flavor and, as it melts, the richness and body of the sauce.
- Baking soda
- Raises the pH of the cheese, which helps it melt more smoothly and resist graininess.
The step that matters
Adding the cheese. Cheese proteins tighten and can turn grainy or oily when overheated or boiled. Keeping the heat low while the cheese melts in keeps the sauce 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.
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