Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the potatoes
Boil the potatoes until tender, then drain and steam them dry.
Peel the potatoes and remove any blemishes.
While hot, press the potatoes through a colander or mash them with a wooden fork until smooth.
Mix and heat
In a saucepan, melt the butter with the milk or cream.
Add the potatoes and sprinkle with salt, stirring over low heat until well mixed and hot.
Serve
Serve immediately or mold into a shape and brown under the broiler.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the starchy bulk that gives mashed potatoes their body and soft texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
- Milk or cream
- Adds moisture so the mash loosens and stays smooth rather than stiff.
The step that matters
Press the potatoes while hot. Warm potatoes break down into a smooth mash. Once they cool, the starch firms up and lumps form more easily. Overworking the mash releases excess starch, which makes it gluey.
“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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