Why it works: Butter and bread 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 ↓
Macaroni with Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Cook the macaroni
Break macaroni into 1‑inch lengths and boil in salted boiling water for 20–30 minutes until tender.
Drain and rinse the macaroni in boiling water.
Layer and bake
Butter a baking dish and cover the bottom with macaroni.
Sprinkle with crumbs, a little melted butter, and about ¼ of the grated cheese.
Sprinkle with a little salt and repeat the layers, finishing with the grated cheese on top.
Brown in a 400°F (200°C) oven and serve hot in the baking dish.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 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
- Macaroni
- Forms the bulk of the dish and gives the layers their body once cooked until tender.
- Melted butter
- Adds richness and helps the crumbs brown evenly in the oven.
- Grated cheese
- Melts into the layers to add savoury flavour and a creamy, binding texture.
- Bread or cracker crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden topping that contrasts with the soft pasta beneath.
The step that matters
Rinsing the cooked macaroni in boiling water. Rinsing in boiling water washes away surface starch so the pasta does not clump together. Drain well so excess water does not make the layers soggy.
“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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