Name: Macaroni with Cheese
Ingredients: ½ pound macaroni; Salt; 2 tablespoons melted butter; 1 cup grated American cheese; Paprika; ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt (formerly 'bay salt'); 1 egg yolk; 1 cup cream or rich milk

Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Macaroni with Cheese

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Cook the macaroni

Break macaroni in halves and boil in salted water for 25 minutes.
Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.

Assemble and bake

Layer macaroni in a greased baking dish, drizzle with melted butter, and sprinkle with cheese, paprika, and salt.
Repeat layers, finishing with cheese and bits of butter on top.
Beat the egg yolk into the cream and pour over the macaroni.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until brown.
Serve immediately to prevent the cheese from hardening.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,962 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Cheese + creamtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,655 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together42,166 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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

Macaroni: Forms the starchy base that holds the layers together.
American cheese: Melts into the dish to give richness and a creamy, savory flavour.
Cream: Adds moisture and richness, helping the dish set into a creamy custard.
Egg yolk: Thickens the cream mixture as it bakes, giving the sauce body.
Butter: Adds fat and richness, and helps the top brown.