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 ↓
Rice Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Rinse the rice under cold water.
In a pot, combine rice, milk, sugar, and salt.
Cook
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If using, beat the egg in a bowl and temper it with a bit of the hot rice mixture. Stir the egg mixture back into the pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Serve warm or chilled.
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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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Rice + vanillatop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,352 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 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
- Rice
- Starch that softens as it simmers, thickening the milk and giving the pudding its body.
- Milk
- Liquid that cooks the rice and, with its milk solids, gives a creamy, rich texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps give the finished pudding its flavour.
- Egg
- Optional; when tempered and gently cooked, it adds richness and extra thickening to the pudding.
The step that matters
Simmering the rice. Simmering gently while stirring keeps the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pot and lets the rice release starch slowly, so the pudding thickens evenly and becomes creamy.
“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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