Why it works: Beans and cheese work together. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 741 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Bean Rarebit
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Melt 2 tbsp butter.
Add 1 tsp salt.
Add 1 tsp paprika.
Add 1 cup cold baked beans pressed through a strainer.
When mixture is thoroughly heated, add gradually 1 cup milk.
When blended with the other ingredients, add 2-3 cups soft cheese finely cut and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
Stir constantly until cheese is melted.
Serve
Serve on zephyrettes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Bean | not in our table | 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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Beans + cheesetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together741 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Baked beans
- Provide the bulk and body of the rarebit, thickening it as they heat through.
- Soft cheese
- Melts into the sauce to give it its rich, creamy, savoury character.
- Milk (in the method)
- Loosens the mixture into a smooth, pourable sauce as it blends with the other ingredients.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat and richness to the base before the other ingredients are added.
The step that matters
Stir constantly until cheese is melted. Cheese proteins tighten and turn grainy or stringy when overheated, so keep the heat gentle and stir steadily to keep the sauce smooth.
“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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