Why it works: Rice and corn match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 933 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Cheezy Rice and Corn
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix rice, corn, and cheeses in a large bowl.
Spoon mixture evenly into a buttered baking dish.
Bake and top
Cover and bake for 10 minutes.
Blend butter and breadcrumbs in a small bowl with a fork. Sprinkle the butter-breadcrumb mixture evenly over the rice dish.
Return to oven and bake until crumbs are crusty, about 5 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
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.
-
Rice + corntop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Corn + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,345 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Rice + cheesetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together942 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Rice + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,645 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hot cooked rice
- Forms the bulk of the casserole and absorbs moisture and flavor from the cheese.
- Cheddar or monterey jack cheese
- Melts into the rice to bind the dish and add richness and savory flavor.
- Colby cheese
- Melts into a creamy, mild layer that helps hold the casserole together.
- Butter or margarine
- Fat that coats the breadcrumbs so they toast and brown evenly in the oven.
- Italian breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, golden topping when baked with melted fat.
The step that matters
Baking the buttered breadcrumb topping uncovered. Crumbs need dry heat and fat to brown and crisp. If the dish stays covered or the crumbs are not coated with butter, the topping will stay soft and pale instead of crusty.
“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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