Suet Pudding

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. Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,426 recipes

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

2. Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together88,785 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

3. Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together77,875 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

4. Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together122,807 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

5. Egg + cheesetop 28% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together6,253 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Sugar and milk 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

Butter (in the method)

Cooked with flour to form a thickened base, adding richness and flavour.

Flour (in the method)

Thickens the milk mixture when cooked with butter, giving the pudding its body.

Milk

Forms the liquid base that the flour thickens and the eggs set into a soft custard.

Egg yolks

Add richness and help the mixture set as it cooks.

Egg whites

Whipped to a stiff froth, they lighten the pudding and give it a risen, airy texture.

Cheese

In the cheese version, adds savoury flavour and richness in place of the sweet flavourings.

The step that matters