Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
To Boil Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the potatoes without peeling them and place them in a pot.
Cover the potatoes with water, about 1 inch above them, and do not put on the lid.
Boil
When the water is nearly boiling, pour it off and replace it with cold water and a good amount of salt.
Boil medium-sized potatoes for about 30 minutes and large ones for about 1 hour, testing with a fork for doneness.
Dry and serve
Once done, pour off the water, cover the pot with a folded napkin or flannel, and let them sit by the fire for 15 minutes to dry.
Peel the potatoes and serve them, or mash them while hot with a potato masher, adding butter, salt, and milk if desired.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Starchy flesh that cooks soft and fluffy, forming the body of the dish.
- Fresh butter
- Adds fat and richness, coating the mashed potato for a smoother mouthfeel.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness to mashed potatoes, loosening their texture.
The step that matters
Drying the potatoes after boiling. Letting excess water evaporate under a covered cloth leaves the potatoes drier and less waterlogged, so they mash fluffier and hold butter better.
“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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