Why it works: Cinnamon and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,950 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat the egg whites and yolks separately until smooth.
Combine the milk, salt, flour, and cooking oil in a bowl.
Add the egg yolks and mix until smooth.
If desired, add cinnamon or nutmeg for flavor.
For fish or meat fritters, add white pepper and cayenne.
If using water, add lemon juice for flavor.
The batter should be thick enough to drop from a spoon but not run.
Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day for lighter fritters.
Fry
Just before frying, fold in the beaten egg whites and any baking powder if using.
Fry the batter in hot oil until golden brown.
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.
-
Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whites beaten separately and folded in add lightness, while yolks enrich the batter.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the batter once its starch sets during frying.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that hydrates the flour and gives a tender interior.
- Cooking oil
- Adds fat that helps the batter brown and gives a crisp exterior.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the fritters rise and become light.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Whites hold air only if they are beaten and folded in gently just before frying. Deflating them or letting them sit lets the batter lose its lift, leaving fritters dense rather than light.
Swap the cinnamon
The recipe marks cinnamon as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, flour, butter, white pepper, lemon, cream):
- Nutmegfits better
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Cinnamonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, flour, butter, white pepper, lemon, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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.
More fritters recipes
You might also like
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.