Why it works: Potato and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,481 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Potato Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the potatoes
Select large potatoes of the same size and bake until done.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides without breaking the skins.
Make the filling
Add a little salt and enough cream to make the mixture soft.
Beat until very light and smooth.
Fill and brown
Refill the potato skins with the mixture.
Place the potatoes in a pan.
Return to the oven to brown on top.
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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Potato + creamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,481 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Large potatoes
- Provide the bulk and starchy body that holds the fluffy filling.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, softening the mixture and making it smooth.
The step that matters
Beat until very light and smooth. Beating incorporates air and breaks up lumps, which gives the filling its light, souffle-like texture. Under-beaten filling stays dense and heavy.
“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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