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 ↓
Frozen Tom and Jerry
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat the egg yolks and powdered sugar together until light.
Add the milk and flavoring, then mix well.
Fold in the beaten egg whites until combined.
Freeze
Freeze the mixture immediately.
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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and emulsify the mixture, giving a creamy body.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to trap air, lightening the texture so it is less dense when frozen.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens and, beaten with the yolks, helps create a light, smooth base.
- Milk
- Provides liquid and dairy fat, contributing to a creamy, soft frozen texture.
- Flavoring
- Supplies the aroma and taste, such as vanilla or rum.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites gently. Whipped egg whites hold air that gives the frozen dessert its light texture. Stirring them vigorously knocks out air and makes the result dense, so fold with a light hand 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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