Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Vassar Fudges
Ingredients
Directions
Make the fudge
In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and chopped chocolate.
Boil while stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and the bottom of the pan is visible, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Continue stirring in a cool place until the mixture is nearly stiff.
Set and cut
Pour into buttered pans, about 1 inch thick, and mark into squares.
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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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Granulated sugar
- Provides sweetness and, as it dissolves and recrystallizes, the firm, creamy body of the fudge.
- Milk
- Supplies liquid and milk solids that give the fudge a softer, smoother texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat, which makes the fudge tender and smooth-textured.
- Chocolate
- Provides the chocolate flavour and color, along with some fat.
The step that matters
Stirring while cooling. Stirring while the mixture cools and thickens encourages fine sugar crystals, giving a smooth texture; stirring too little or too late can leave the fudge grainy or cause it to set unevenly.
“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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