Why it works: Butter and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,962 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Macaroni with Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Cook the macaroni
Do not wash the macaroni.
Break it into pieces of 2 to 3 inches and add to boiling, well-salted water.
Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain the macaroni in a colander and shake off excess water.
Layer and bake
In a dish, layer some macaroni, drizzle with melted butter, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with butter and cheese on top.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 3 to 4 minutes until the macaroni absorbs the butter and cheese.
Brown the top with a salamander or hot kitchen shovel before serving.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Forms the bulk of the dish and gives the body that holds the sauce.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, carrying flavour and helping coat the pasta.
- Cheese
- Provides savoury flavour and, when melted, a creamy binding that clings to the pasta.
The step that matters
Shake off excess water after draining. Water left on the macaroni dilutes the butter and cheese, so the layers become soggy rather than coating the pasta evenly.
“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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