Why it works: Barley and milk work together. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 598 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity. The science ↓
Barley-water
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Rinse the pearl barley under cold water.
In a pot, combine the rinsed barley and water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours.
Strain the mixture to separate the barley from the liquid.
Serve
Mix the barley water with skimmed milk 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Barley + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together598 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pearl barley
- Starch and soluble compounds from the grain thicken and flavour the water as it simmers.
- Skimmed milk
- Adds creaminess and mild sweetness to the strained barley liquid.
The step that matters
Simmering the barley. Barley needs a long, gentle simmer to soften fully and release its starch and flavour. Keeping the heat low prevents the grains from breaking apart and the liquid from scorching on the bottom of the pot.
“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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