Why it works: Bread and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Cheese Fondu
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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the mixture
In a bowl, combine the milk and dissolved baking soda.
Add the butter, whipped eggs, pepper, and salt to the milk mixture.
Stir in the grated cheese last.
Butter a baking dish and pour the mixture into it.
Sprinkle fine, stale bread crumbs over the top.
Bake and serve
Bake in the preheated oven until golden.
Serve immediately.
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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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 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
- Eggs
- Whipped eggs add structure and body, helping the custard set into a soft, sliceable mass.
- Grated cheese
- Melts into the custard, supplying rich flavour and a stretchy, creamy texture.
- Sweet milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, giving it moisture and a tender, creamy body.
- Fine bread crumbs
- Sprinkled on top, they toast in the oven to add a golden, crisp browned layer.
The step that matters
Bake until golden. Egg proteins set as the mixture heats, so underbaking leaves it runny while overbaking makes it dry and rubbery. Watch for a golden top and a firm centre.
“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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