Why it works: Cheese and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,860 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cheese Straws
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Take 1 tablespoon of fine bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons of flour, a little salt, and 4 tablespoons of grated rich cheese.
Add to these the yolk of 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water, then mix until hard.
Shape and bake
Roll out to about 1/4 of an inch thickness.
Cut into strips and bake in a quick oven until a pale brown.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
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.
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.
-
Cheese + flourtop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,860 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Grated rich cheese
- Provides the main savoury flavour and fat, and helps the dough brown while baking.
- Flour
- Forms the dough's structure so the straws hold their shape when cut and baked.
- Egg yolk (in the method)
- Adds richness and fat, and helps bind the dough together.
- Fine bread crumbs (in the method)
- Add body and a crisp, dry texture to the dough.
The step that matters
Mixing until hard. The dough must be mixed until firm and well bound. Too little mixing leaves it crumbly and hard to roll, while the right firmness lets thin strips keep their shape and bake crisp rather than spread.
“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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