Why it works: Flour and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cheese Straws
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Mix breadcrumbs and flour in a bowl.
Make a well in the center.
Add the egg yolk and grated cheese, then work the egg and cheese together.
Sprinkle with salt and red pepper.
Gradually mix in the breadcrumbs.
If the mixture is too dry, add ice water.
Roll the mixture into a thin sheet.
Shape and bake
Cut into 5-inch strips.
Place the strips on parchment paper in a baking pan.
Dry in a 350°F (175°C) oven.
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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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 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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Egg + cheesetop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,253 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Flour + cheesetop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,860 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Stale breadcrumbs
- Form the base of the dough and give the straws their crisp, dry body.
- All-purpose flour
- Adds structure so the dough holds together when rolled and cut.
- Egg yolk
- Binds the dough and adds richness to hold the crumbs and cheese together.
- Soft grated cheese
- Supplies the main flavor and fat, helping the dough bind and brown lightly.
The step that matters
Adding ice water. Add ice water only if the dough is too dry. Too much liquid makes the dough sticky and hard to roll thin, while cold water keeps the fat from warming and softening the dough too early.
“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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