Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Cornstarch Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
In a custard kettle, heat the milk until it reaches boiling point.
Add the sugar to the boiling milk.
Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold milk, then add it to the kettle.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture.
Cook for a few minutes.
Pour into cups, filling them about half full.
Set the cups in a cool place.
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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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the milk as it heats, giving the pudding its body and set.
- Egg whites
- Beaten until stiff and folded in, they add lightness and airy texture.
- Sweet milk
- Forms the liquid base that the cornstarch thickens into a creamy pudding.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to the milk base.
The step that matters
Dissolving the cornstarch in cold milk before adding it to the kettle. Cornstarch clumps if it meets hot liquid directly. Mixing it into a little cold milk first lets the starch spread evenly, so it thickens smoothly when the mixture cooks.
“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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