Why it works: Corn and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,955 recipes. Both carry hexanal, which smells green, grassy. The science ↓
Corn Muffins—southern Style
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a rather 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, combine corn meal, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, beat the egg and mix in the melted shortening and sour milk or buttermilk.
Make and bake the muffins
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins, filling each about two-thirds full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool slightly before serving.
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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Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Corn + eggtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,484 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Corn meal
- Provides the main body and the characteristic grainy texture of the muffins.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets in the oven.
- Sour milk or buttermilk
- Adds moisture and acidity, which reacts with the baking soda to help the muffins rise.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk or buttermilk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Shortening
- Adds fat for tenderness and a richer mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten in the flour and makes the muffins tough, while the baking soda's rising reaction starts as soon as the liquid touches it, so the batter should go into the oven promptly.
“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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