Name: White Cheddar Grits
Ingredients: 1 cup white grits; 4 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed; 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt; 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2/3 cup grated medium-sharp cheddar cheese; 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; Freshly ground pepper, to taste; 1 tsp. Tabasco (optional)

Why it works: Cheddar cheese and cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 984 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

White Cheddar Grits

Ingredients

1 cup white grits
4 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup grated medium-sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp. Tabasco (optional)

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

334Calories

14 gProtein

30 gFat

2 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

Cheddar cheese + cheesetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together984 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + cheddar cheesetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,436 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,962 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Cheese + peppertop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,861 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.