Rice Au Gratin Supreme

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.

1. Rice + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together7,374 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

2. Rice + mushroomtop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,515 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

3. Cheddar cheese + mushroomtop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together705 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

4. Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together10,433 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

5. Onion + mushroomtop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together10,626 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Cooked rice

Forms the bulk of the gratin and absorbs the creamy sauce as it bakes.

Cheddar cheese

Melts into the sauce for richness and forms a browned, bubbly top.

Mayonnaise

Adds fat and moisture, keeping the mixture creamy rather than dry.

Cream of mushroom soup

Provides a thick, savory base that binds the rice and cheese together.

Milk

Thins the sauce so it coats the rice evenly before baking.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, pepper, cheddar cheese, cream, mushroom, milk):

1. Potatofits better
2. Capsicumfits better
3. Asparagusfits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, pepper, cheddar cheese, cream, mushroom, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.