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Sauce

Simple Alfredo Sauce

A creamy sauce made with butter, cream cheese, parmesan, and milk.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Cream cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 311 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Simple Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a skillet, melt the butter.

  2. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted.

  3. Add the parmesan and keep stirring. Very slowly add the milk, stirring all the time.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

460Calories
20 gProtein
37 gFat
14 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99

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. Cream cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together311 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Butter + cream cheesetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,747 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Butter + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,163 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Cream cheese + milktop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,393 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

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

What each ingredient does

Butter or margarine
Adds fat and richness, giving the sauce a smooth, rounded flavor.
Cream cheese
Melts into a creamy base that gives the sauce body and a thick texture.
Parmesan cheese
Adds salty, savory flavor and helps thicken the sauce as it melts.
Milk
Thins the melted cheese mixture into a pourable sauce with moisture.

The step that matters

Adding the milk slowly while stirring. Cheese proteins can tighten and clump when liquid is added quickly or the mixture gets too hot. Adding the milk gradually while stirring lets it blend evenly into the fats and proteins, keeping the sauce smooth.

“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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