Low-fat Cranberry Squares

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. Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,721 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

2. Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,973 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

3. Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together92,116 recipes

   Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

4. Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together106,462 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together19,212 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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

Egg whites

Bind the batter and add structure as they set in the oven.

Buttermilk

Adds moisture and tang, and its acidity works with the baking soda to lift the batter.

Baking powder

Releases gas in the batter to make the squares rise and turn light.

Cornstarch

Softens the crumb and gives a tender texture rather than a dense one.

Cranberries

Add tartness and moisture, balancing the sweetness of the sugar.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, buttermilk, egg):

1. Raisinfits better
2. Vanillafits better
3. Lemonfits better
4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, buttermilk, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.