Name: Rice and Cheese Bake II
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked brown rice; 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar or American cheese; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon prepared mustard; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper; 1 cup milk (made with nonfat dry milk); 2 eggs, beaten

Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

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.

Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Mustard + oniontop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,259 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Rice + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,374 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Parsley + mustardtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,588 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,843 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

Eggs: Bind the mixture and set into a firm, sliceable custard as it bakes.
Cheese: Melts into the rice, adding richness, saltiness and a creamy texture.
Brown rice: Forms the body of the bake, giving bulk and a chewy texture.
Milk: Adds moisture and softness, helping the eggs set into a tender custard.

The step that matters

Do not overbake. Eggs keep setting as they cool. Baking past firm near the center can make the bake dry and rubbery, so pull it once it is just set.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, cheese, parsley, mustard, pepper, milk, egg):

Capsicumfits better
Potatofits better
Asparagusfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, cheese, parsley, mustard, pepper, milk, egg. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Rice and Cheese Bake II