Name: Fried Polenta Slices I
Ingredients: See Boiled polenta or; 1 lb/1/2 kg cornmeal,; 3/4 qt / 3/4 l water,; 3/4 qt / 3/4 l milk,; 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan,; 1 tablespoon butter,; additional butter,; grated parmesan,; sour cream

Why it works: Milk and butter 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 ↓

Fried Polenta Slices I

Ingredients

Directions

Make the polenta

Make a rather hard boiled polenta.
Or, make a rather soft polenta with cornmeal and equal quantities of water and milk.
Add 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Mix well.
Pour the polenta onto a wet wooden cutting board.

Shape and fry

When the polenta is cold, cut it in diamonds.
Slice the boiled polenta.
Fry the slices in hot oil.
Fry in hot butter.
Sprinkle with parmesan.

Serve

Serve with whipped dry beans or peas.
Serve with sour cream.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

461Calories

35 gProtein

28 gFat

19 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
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.

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.

Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29,399 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

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

What each ingredient does

Cornmeal: Forms the polenta base that sets firm when cooled and then cut.
Milk: Adds richness and softness to the polenta and helps it brown.
Butter: Adds fat for flavour and golden browning when the slices are fried.
Parmesan: Adds savoury, salty flavour and a browned crust when sprinkled on.

The step that matters

Let the polenta cool fully before cutting. Hot polenta is soft and will break apart. Cooling lets the starch set so the slices hold their shape when fried.

“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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Fried Polenta Slices I