Why it works: Milk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Muffins and Gems
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 batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Beat the egg until light, then add a portion of the milk and sweetener if using.
Mix the egg mixture with the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the melted shortening and enough milk to make a smooth batter, then beat well.
Bake
Grease muffin pans and fill them about half full with the batter.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
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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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and flour 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the muffins bake.
- Egg
- Adds structure and binds the batter as it sets.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the batter so the muffins rise.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and gives the batter its liquid and moisture.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and keeps it moist.
The step that matters
Beat the batter only until smooth. Once flour meets liquid, gluten begins to form; overbeating makes the muffins tough and dense, while stopping at a smooth batter keeps them tender.
“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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