Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Graham Gems
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Combine one quart of sweet milk, four cups of graham flour, and a teaspoonful of salt.
Stir together and beat well, the longer the better.
Bake the gems
Heat gem pans very hot and brush them well with butter.
Half fill the pans with the batter.
Bake for thirty-five minutes.
Combine two cups of kernel flour, two cups of white flour, four cups of milk or two cups of milk and two cups of water, one egg, a little salt, a heaping teaspoonful of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and two large tablespoonfuls of melted butter.
Beat the egg lightly in a bowl.
Add the sugar and salt, the milk and butter.
Sift the flour together and beat the batter hard for a few minutes.
Heat iron gem pans very hot and butter them.
Fill the pans and bake them in a good, quick oven for not less than thirty-five minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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 + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Graham flour
- Forms the main structure of the batter and gives the gems their hearty texture.
- White flour
- Adds structure and a lighter crumb to the batter.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and helps set the structure as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the gems rise.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour, and keeps the gems from sticking to the pans.
- Milk
- Supplies moisture that hydrates the flour and forms the batter.
The step that matters
Heat the gem pans very hot before filling. A very hot, buttered pan sets the outside of the batter immediately, creating a crust that helps the gems rise and release cleanly instead of sticking or spreading.
“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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