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Pigs in Blankets

Oysters rolled in cracker crumbs, coated in egg and milk, wrapped in bacon, baked until brown.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Oyster and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,103 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Pigs in Blankets

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare the oysters

  1. Remove gills from oysters and roll them in cracker crumbs.

  2. In a bowl, mix the beaten egg, milk, salt, and pepper.

  3. Dip the oysters in the egg mixture, then roll them again in cracker crumbs.

Wrap and bake

  1. Wrap each oyster in a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

  2. Place in a 400°F (200°C) oven and bake until the bacon is brown.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

  1. Oyster + eggtop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,103 recipes

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

  2. Egg + milktop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together88,785 recipes

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

  3. Oyster + milktop 20% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,933 recipes

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

  4. Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together26,984 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Oyster + peppertop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together7,663 recipes

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

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Large oysters
Main filling; their mild, briny flesh is the core of the dish.
Cracker crumbs
Form a crisp coating that helps the oysters hold together while baking.
Beaten egg
Binds the cracker crumbs to the oysters, helping the coating stick.
Thin slices of bacon
Wrap the oysters and brown in the oven, adding fat and savory flavor.

The step that matters

Wrapping and securing each oyster. Bacon must fully enclose each oyster and be pinned with a toothpick so the fat renders and browns around it while the oyster stays covered and moist as it heats.

“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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