Why it works: Flour and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,341 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Churros
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Heat oil in a heavy deep skillet or deep-fryer to 360 °F (180 °C). Oil should be about 1½ inches deep.
Heat water and margarine in a medium saucepan to a rolling boil.
Combine flour and salt; stir into the boiling mixture.
Reduce heat to low and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time.
Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
Fry and coat
Carefully squeeze out 4-inch long strips of dough directly into the hot oil.
Fry 3 or 4 strips at once until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
Remove from hot oil and drain on paper towels.
Stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
Roll churros in the mixture while still hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 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.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the starch structure that holds the dough together and lets it puff in hot oil.
- Eggs
- Add moisture and structure, helping the dough set and stay tender after frying.
- Margarine
- Adds fat, which gives the dough a rich texture and helps it crisp at the surface.
- Water
- Turns to steam in the dough, helping it puff and cook through during frying.
The step that matters
Stir the dough until it forms a ball. Cooking the flour paste in boiling liquid gelatinizes its starch, giving a stable dough that holds its shape. Undercooked dough can collapse or absorb excess oil.
Swap the cinnamon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, egg, sugar):
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Cinnamonthe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Capersfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, egg, sugar. 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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