Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
9. Fudge.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the mixture
Mix the first four ingredients and place over a hot fire.
Stir steadily until the mixture begins to boil.
Stir occasionally after this until, when half a teaspoonful is dropped into cold water, it may be rolled to a soft ball with the fingers.
Cool and finish
Set the saucepan in a cool place and leave until it becomes just lukewarm.
Add the vanilla and stir the mixture until it becomes thick and seems very slightly granular.
Pour it into a buttered tin and as soon as possible cut into squares.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
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 + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Cream + chocolatetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Chocolate + milktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,128 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Cream and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,301 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
- Chocolate
- Adds rich flavour and fat, giving the fudge its body and deep colour.
- Milk
- Provides moisture and creaminess, so the cooked mixture sets soft rather than hard.
- Vanilla
- Adds aroma that rounds out the chocolate flavour.
- Cream of tartar
- Helps keep sugar crystals small, so the fudge stays smooth rather than gritty.
The step that matters
Leave the mixture to cool to lukewarm before beating. Beating while the mixture is still hot lets large sugar crystals form, giving a coarse, grainy texture. Cooling it undisturbed lets the sugar set into fine crystals, so the fudge turns thick and 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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