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Canned Oysters and Macaroni

A baked macaroni casserole with canned oysters, salt, pepper, and grated cheese.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,861 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Canned Oysters and Macaroni

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderate oven

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.

Prepare

  1. Boil macaroni in plenty of water for 20 minutes.

  2. Cut macaroni into 1-inch pieces.

Assemble and bake

  1. Layer macaroni, oysters, salt, and pepper in a baking dish.

  2. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with macaroni on top.

  3. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top.

  4. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes.

  5. Serve in the same dish.

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.

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.

  1. Pepper + cheesetop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,861 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Oyster + cheesetop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together202 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  3. Oyster + peppertop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together7,663 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Macaroni
Forms the starchy body of the dish, holding the layers together as it cooks.
Canned oysters
Provide the main savory flavor and a soft, tender texture through the layers.
Grated cheese
Melts and browns on top, adding richness and a golden crust.

“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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