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 ↓
Corn-bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Chop the butter and mix it with the cornmeal.
Add the salt and egg yolks, then gradually stir in the cold milk.
Beat the mixture until smooth.
Fold and bake
Butter a baking pan.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the buttered pan.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air that lifts the batter and gives a lighter crumb.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help bind the batter into a tender, cohesive crumb.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor and keeps the crumb moist.
- Cornmeal
- Provides the main body and corn flavor that define the cornbread's structure.
- Milk
- Hydrates the cornmeal so it swells and forms a smooth, pourable batter.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Stiff whites hold air that makes the bake rise and stay light. Stirring them in vigorously deflates the foam, leaving a dense cornbread, so fold gently until just combined.
“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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