Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Popovers
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Mix salt and flour together.
Add half of the milk slowly, stirring to form a smooth paste.
Mix the remaining milk with the beaten egg and add to the paste.
Bake and serve
Preheat oven pans until sizzling hot.
Pour in the batter and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 1 hour.
Serve immediately while hot, split open with butter or jam.
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.
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the batter's steam and lets the popovers rise.
- Egg
- Adds structure and helps the batter set as it bakes.
- Milk
- Supplies moisture that turns to steam in the hot oven, driving the rise.
The step that matters
Preheat the pans until sizzling hot before pouring in the batter. A very hot pan starts cooking the batter's outside immediately, so it sets quickly and can climb as the steam expands. A cold pan lets the batter spread and rise poorly.
“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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