Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Corn-meal Muffins
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Sift the cornmeal and salt together.
Sift the cream of tartar with the flour.
Add the sugar and mix well.
Stir in the sour milk and sour cream.
Finish and bake
Dissolve the baking soda in the remaining sour milk, then add the egg and beat for one minute.
Combine this mixture with the batter and beat for two to three minutes until smooth.
Pour the batter into a buttered gingerbread pan.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until done.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Cream + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Cornmeal
- Provides the main body and the coarse, grainy texture of the muffins.
- Sour milk
- Adds moisture and acidity that react with the baking soda to help the muffins rise.
- Sour cream
- Adds richness and moisture, giving a tender crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Cream of tartar
- Adds acidity that supports rising and balances the baking soda.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets in the oven.
The step that matters
Dissolve the baking soda in the sour milk. Baking soda needs an acid to react and make gas. Dissolving it fully in the sour milk spreads it evenly, so the muffins rise uniformly instead of in patches or with a bitter, soapy taste.
“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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