Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Corn Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the corn
Gather 1 dozen and a half large ears of fresh green corn, 2 eggs, a heaping teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of pepper, and 4 teaspoons of milk.
Remove the husks and silk from the corn.
Score each row of kernels down the center, from end to end.
Scrape out the contents with the back of the knife, holding the ear nearly upright and the blade almost flat against it; this prevents spattering.
Do all scraping on a large platter.
Scrape at least twice around the cob, ensuring all milk and yellow substance are removed but none of the skin.
Make the batter
Beat the eggs thoroughly at one end of the platter.
Beat the eggs into the corn, add the salt, pepper, and milk, and mix thoroughly.
Fry and serve
Fry by the spoonful on a cake griddle that is very hot and well greased with cooking butter.
When the last spoonful is laid on, the first spoonful should be ready to turn.
The fritters should be a rich, light brown and all of the same shape if the batter runs on the griddle from the point of the spoon.
Serve as soon as cooked, one griddleful at a time.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 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
- Corn (in the method)
- Forms the bulk of the fritter, supplying starch and sweetness as the main body of the batter.
- Eggs
- Bind the corn into a batter and set when cooked, giving the fritters structure.
- Milk
- Thins the batter slightly and adds moisture so the fritters stay tender inside.
The step that matters
Fry by the spoonful on a very hot, well-greased griddle. If the griddle is not hot enough, the batter spreads and absorbs fat instead of setting quickly, giving greasy, flat fritters. Enough grease prevents sticking and helps the outside brown 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.
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