Why it works: Egg and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Potatoes Mashed
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the potatoes
Pare and boil the potatoes till done.
Drain, and mash in the kettle until perfectly smooth.
Season and beat
Add milk or cream, butter and salt.
Beat like cake with a large spoon; the more they are beaten the nicer they become.
Put in a dish, smooth, and place a lump of butter in the centre.
Sprinkle with pepper; or add one or two eggs and pepper, and mix thoroughly.
Put in a baking dish, dip a knife in sweet milk, smooth over, wetting every part with milk.
Bake
Place in a hot oven twenty minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
-
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 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
- Potatoes (in the method)
- Form the bulk of the dish; mashing them when cooked gives it a smooth, soft body.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the mash so it becomes smooth and creamy.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat and richness, and browns lightly on the surface in the oven.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, helping the mash hold together when baked.
The step that matters
Beating the mash. Beating incorporates air and develops a smooth, light texture; under-beaten potatoes turn out dense and lumpy. Mash while still hot so the starch breaks down evenly and blends smoothly with the milk and butter.
“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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