Why it works: Milk and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Mock Bisque
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Heat one and one-half pints of milk to the boiling point and set off to cool a little.
Heat and strain one-half can of tomatoes.
Make the soup
Put the strained tomatoes back on the stove and add butter the size of an English walnut, one teaspoon salt, and one large spoon sugar.
Boil and set back a minute.
Add two-thirds teaspoon soda.
Turn in the milk and heat up, stirring constantly.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
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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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Milk
- Forms the creamy liquid base that gives the bisque its body and smooth texture.
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Provide the main flavor and acidity of the bisque.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the tomatoes' sharp acidity.
- Soda (in the method)
- Neutralizes some of the tomato's acidity, making the milk less likely to curdle.
The step that matters
Adding the milk to the tomatoes. Tomatoes are acidic, and acid can curdle hot milk. The soda lowers that acidity first, and stirring constantly while the milk heats keeps the mixture smooth. Heat gently and do not let it boil hard after the milk goes in.
“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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