Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Lithuanian Cracker Stuffing
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Crumble saltines into fine crumbs.
Melt butter in saucepan.
Add onions to soften and turn clear.
Heat 2 cups milk (skim off fat) or use lowfat milk.
Mix and bake
In a large bowl combine crumbs, milk and butter mixture. Mix well.
Beat in eggs.
Pour batter into a large flat corningware dish.
Bake covered at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Uncover and bake for 5 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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.
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Saltines
- Crumbs form the bulk of the stuffing and soak up the milk and butter to set the texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and help it set firm as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, keeping the stuffing tender and moist.
- Milk
- Moistens the crumbs and helps form a soft, custardy interior.
- Onion
- Adds savory flavor and aroma as it softens in the butter.
The step that matters
Beat in eggs after the crumb mixture has cooled slightly. Eggs scrambled by very hot liquid can clump or curdle, so the batter should be mixed smoothly before baking to set evenly.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, milk, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, milk, pepper. 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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