Why it works: Cocoa powder and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,427 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
To Make Good Cocoa
Ingredients
Directions
Start with high-quality cocoa powder from a reputable brand.
In a bowl, mix cocoa powder with a little warm water or milk to create a smooth, thin batter, crushing any lumps.
Quickly pour boiling water over the batter while stirring rapidly to ensure a perfect mixture.
If using milk, ensure it is also boiling.
Stir the cocoa occasionally while drinking to keep it well mixed.
For larger quantities, bring water to a boil and gradually add cocoa powder while stirring continuously.
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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Cocoa powder + milktop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,427 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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