Gertrude Joseph

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.

1. Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together19,187 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

2. Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together10,020 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

3. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

4. Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together41,516 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

5. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together35,032 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Flour

Provides the structure that holds the dough together as it bakes.

Eggs

Bind the dough and add structure and richness to the crumb.

Butter

Adds fat for tenderness and flavor in the dough.

Cream of tartar

Acidic salt that reacts with baking soda to help the cake rise.

Baking soda

Reacts with the acid in the dough to produce gas for rising.

The step that matters