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Dessert

Susan's Banana Pudding

A microwave banana pudding made with cornstarch, milk, egg whites, vanilla, and vanilla wafers.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Vanilla and banana are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,430 recipes. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓

Susan's Banana Pudding

Time6 to 8 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pudding

  1. Combine the cornstarch, salt, and sugar in a small mixing bowl and mix well.

  2. Combine milk, egg whites, vanilla, margarine, and food coloring in another 6- to 8-cup container. Whisk to blend.

  3. Add dry ingredients and whisk all the ingredients together thoroughly.

  4. Cook in microwave on high (100 percent power) for 6 to 8 minutes or until thick, stirring after every minute.

  5. To chill, place wax paper directly on pudding; refrigerate.

Assemble and serve

  1. To assemble dish, slice bananas on bottom of serving dish.

  2. Add chilled pudding and garnish with crumbled vanilla wafers.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1147Calories
35 gProtein
45 gFat
148 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Banana1 medium (118g)105
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Egg Substitute1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)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.

  1. Vanilla + bananatop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  2. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  3. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

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

  4. Milk + bananatop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,470 recipes

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

  5. Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together88,785 recipes

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

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Cornstarch
Thickens the milk mixture as it heats, giving the pudding its body.
Egg whites
Add protein that helps set and enrich the custard as it cooks.
Skim milk
Forms the liquid base of the pudding and provides its creamy moisture.
Granulated sugar
Sweetens the pudding and helps soften its texture.
Bananas
Add fruity flavor and sweetness to the layered dessert.

The step that matters

Cooking in the microwave until thick. Cornstarch only thickens fully once the mixture reaches a boil, and stopping early leaves a thin pudding. Stirring every minute keeps heat even and prevents lumps and scorching at the edges.

Swap the banana

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

  1. Figfits better
  2. Peachfits about as well
  3. Blueberryfits about as well
  4. Bananathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, egg, vanilla. 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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