Name: Devilled Cheese
Ingredients: one-half pound cheese; one cup english walnuts; one tablespoon of prepared mustard; mustard; vinegar

Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Devilled Cheese

Ingredients

Directions

Grate the cheese.
Add the chopped walnuts.
Mix with the mustard.
Add a little vinegar to make thin enough to spread.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

145Calories

8 gProtein

12 gFat

1 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Walnut	1 walnut half (4g)	26
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By United Methodist Church (Grayville, Ill.). Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,067 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Walnut + mustardtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together849 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Cheese + mustardtop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,805 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cheese + vinegartop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together922 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-methylbutanol (malty, whiskey).
Cheese + walnuttop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together410 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Cheese: Forms the creamy base and provides the main body of the spread.
English walnuts: Add crunch and a nutty flavor that contrasts with the soft cheese.
Prepared mustard: Adds sharp, tangy flavor that cuts the richness of the cheese.
Vinegar: Adds acidity and thins the mixture to a spreadable consistency.