Why it works: Nutmeg and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,377 recipes. Both carry alpha-terpineol, which smells lilac, floral. The science ↓
Simple Rice Pudding
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.
Steam the washed rice in 1 quart of milk until tender.
If more milk is needed, heat it when the rice is tender.
Add sugar, additional milk, salt, nutmeg, butter, and raisins.
Mix well and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
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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Nutmeg + raisintop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Rice + nutmegtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,779 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Rice + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together565 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Starch thickens as it cooks in the milk, giving the pudding its body and structure.
- Milk
- Liquid that cooks the rice and, reduced slowly, creates the creamy texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the pudding brown lightly on top while baking.
- Butter
- Adds fat, which gives richness and a softer mouthfeel to the pudding.
- Raisins
- Add concentrated sweetness and a chewy contrast to the soft rice.
The step that matters
Cooking the rice in the milk until tender. Milk sugars scorch easily on the bottom of the pan, and rice starch needs enough liquid and gentle heat to swell fully without drying out or sticking.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, milk, sugar, nutmeg, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, milk, sugar, nutmeg, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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