Name: Funnel Cakes
Ingredients: 2½ cups self-rising flour; ¼ cup sugar; 1⅓ cups milk; 2 eggs, slightly beaten; vegetable oil; sifted powdered sugar

Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Funnel Cakes

Time1 minute per side

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

Combine flour, sugar, milk and eggs in a bowl, beating until smooth.
Heat ¼ inch oil to 375°F.

Fry

Cover the bottom opening of a funnel with a finger (a funnel with a ¾ inch opening works best).
Pour ¼ cup batter into the funnel.
Hold the funnel over the skillet.
Remove the finger from the funnel end to release batter into the hot oil; move the funnel in a slow, circular motion to form a spiral.
Fry each funnel cake 1 minute or until the edges are golden brown; turn and fry until golden.
Drain on paper towels.
Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

850Calories

27 gProtein

28 gFat

120 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49

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.

Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together77,875 recipes

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

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

Self-rising flour: Provides the structure that holds the batter's spiral shape while it fries.
Eggs: Bind the batter and add structure as they set in the hot oil.
Milk: Hydrates the flour and gives the batter a pourable, smooth consistency.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps the edges brown in the hot oil.

The step that matters

Holding the finger over the funnel opening until releasing into hot oil. Batter that leaks before reaching the oil spreads unevenly and can disrupt the spiral shape. Frying at a steady 375°F sets the outside quickly, so the cake holds its form and browns evenly.

“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.