Why it works: Cheese and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,861 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Cheese Balls
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Grate one-half pound cheese.
Add the grated cheese to one pint cracker crumbs, a dash of pepper, and a teaspoon of salt.
Mix the mixture and add two eggs.
Form the mixture into balls the size of a walnut.
Coat and fry
Dip the balls in beaten egg.
Dip the balls in crumbs.
Fry the balls in hot lard, turning to keep them round.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cracker | 5 saltine crackers (15g) | 66 |
| 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.
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Cheese + peppertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,861 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cheese + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,253 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Pepper + eggtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Pepper and egg 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
- Cheese
- Adds rich flavor and fat, and helps the mixture hold together.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form the bulk of the balls and absorb moisture so they keep their shape.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture together and, beaten, give the balls a coating that helps the crumbs stick.
- Lard (in the method)
- Fat for frying that browns and crisps the outside of the balls.
The step that matters
Fry the balls in hot lard, turning to keep them round.. The egg and crumb coating sets quickly in hot fat, so the balls are likely to lose their shape or stick if the fat is not hot enough. Turning them evenly lets all sides set at the same rate, keeping them round and evenly browned.
“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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