Name: Cheese Sauce with Beer
Ingredients: 1/2 cup jack cheese; 1/2 cup cheddar cheese; 1 tbsp flour; 1/2 tsp dry mustard; 1/2 tsp paprika; 4 oz beer; 1 tsp liquid hot pepper sauce; 1/4 cup milk

Why it works: Cheese and cheddar 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 ↓

Cheese Sauce with Beer

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Combine jack cheese, cheddar cheese, flour, dry mustard, and paprika; toss to mix well.

Make the sauce

Combine beer and hot pepper sauce in a saucepan over a medium-low flame.
Add cheese mixture a little at a time, heating and stirring to melt the cheese.
Stir in milk.
Serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

882Calories

36 gProtein

28 gFat

113 gCarbs

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
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Beer	1/4 cup (60ml) for cooking	43
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Sauce	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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together984 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cheddar cheese + beertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together148 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,430 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,426 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Cheese + mustardtop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,805 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Cheddar cheese: Provides rich flavor and melts into the sauce to give it body.
Jack cheese: Melts smoothly, adding creamy texture and mild flavor to the sauce.
Flour: Coats the cheese and helps thicken the sauce as it heats.
Beer: Adds liquid and a malty flavor that pairs with the cheese.

The step that matters

Add cheese mixture a little at a time. Adding cheese gradually over moderate heat lets it melt evenly. Dumping it in at once can cause the cheese to clump or turn grainy and oily as its proteins seize.

Swap the mustard

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

Capsicumfits about as well
Mustardthe original
Potatofits about as well
Tomatofits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against cheese, cheddar cheese, flour, beer, pepper, sauce, milk. 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.

Macaroni and Cheese102 recipes

Cheese Making50 recipes

Cheese Fritters34 recipes

Cheese Omelette31 recipes

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.

Cheese Sauce with Beer