Why it works: Flour and buttermilk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Country-fried Steak with Gravy
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Combine flour and pepper in a shallow dish; pour buttermilk into a second dish; spread crushed crackers on a plate.
Dredge steaks, one at a time, in seasoned flour; dip into buttermilk, then into crushed crackers to coat thoroughly, pressing with fingertips to adhere.
Cook and make gravy
Melt shortening in a skillet; add steaks; cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Remove meat to a platter.
Stir mushroom soup and milk into drippings in skillet; bring to a boil, stirring; remove from heat.
Serve
Serve steaks accompanied by gravy.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Soup | 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.
-
Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Buttermilk + creamtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together674 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Pepper + mushroomtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Mushroom + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,231 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, 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
- Cubed steaks
- Provide the meat that is coated, seared and served as the main dish.
- All purpose flour
- Forms the dry coating that helps the buttermilk and crackers adhere to the meat.
- Buttermilk
- Acts as a wet binder so the cracker crumbs stick to the flour-dusted steaks.
- Finely crushed saltine crackers
- Creates a crisp, golden, crunchy outer crust when fried.
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Thickens the pan drippings and adds savory flavor to the gravy.
- Milk
- Thins the soup into a pourable gravy with a creamy texture.
The step that matters
Pressing the coating onto the steaks. Pressing firmly with fingertips helps the crumbs bond to the buttermilk and flour layers. Loose coating can fall off in the hot fat, leaving bare meat that browns unevenly.
“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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