Why it works: Corn and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,955 recipes. Both carry hexanal, which smells green, grassy. The science ↓
Corn Fritters or Mock Oysters
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the batter
In a bowl, mix corn, flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, beat eggs and add milk.
Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.
Fry and drain
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
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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Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
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Corn + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,165 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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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Egg + milktop 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 starch and gluten network that gives the fritters their body.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and help set the fritters as they cook.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during cooking so the fritters rise and stay light.
- Milk
- Adds moisture to hydrate the flour and loosen the batter.
- Corn kernels
- Supply sweetness, texture, and bulk within the batter.
The step that matters
Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Overmixing develops gluten in the flour, which makes the fritters tough and dense. Stop once no dry flour streaks remain, leaving small lumps.
“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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