Name: Blank Canvas Mac ‘n Cheese
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus a little more for the pan; 1 pound penne rigate; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 quart whole milk, preferably at room temperature (you can warm it in the microwave); 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound sharp orange cheddar cheese, grated (4 cups; use any combo of cheese you’d like, though some of it should be one that melts well); 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

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

Blank Canvas Mac ‘n Cheese

Serves 6

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus a little more for the pan
1 pound penne rigate
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, preferably at room temperature (you can warm it in the microwave)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp orange cheddar cheese, grated (4 cups; use any combo of cheese you’d like, though some of it should be one that melts well)
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

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

By biggirlssmallkitchen. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

Cheddar cheese + cheesetop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together984 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter + cheddar cheesetop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together2,436 recipes

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

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together7,962 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Pepper + orangetop 10% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together2,402 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

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

Flavor stand-ins for the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, milk, pepper, cheddar cheese, cheese):

Figbetter flavor fit
Applebetter flavor fit
Plumbetter flavor fit
Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, milk, pepper, cheddar cheese, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

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