Why it works: Bread and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Cheese Fondue
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.
Make the mixture
Mix the first five ingredients together.
Add the yolks of the eggs, beaten until stiff.
Fold in the whites of the eggs, beaten until stiff.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C).
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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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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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Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whites trapped as foam lift and set the mixture, while yolks add richness and binding.
- Mild cheese
- Melts into the custard, providing the main flavor and a creamy, rich texture.
- Milk
- Supplies moisture and softens the bread so the mixture stays tender.
- Stale bread crumbs
- Absorb the milk and give the dish body and structure as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness, mild flavor and a softer crumb.
The step that matters
Fold in the whites of the eggs. Whites hold air only when beaten stiff, and that air gives lift. Folding gently, rather than stirring, keeps the foam intact so the dish rises and stays light instead of deflating into a dense mass.
“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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