Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Potato Soufflee
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “the hot oven”. The 400°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the potatoes
Wash the potatoes.
Bake them until just done, avoiding scorching the skin.
Cut each potato in half.
Scoop out the insides.
Rub the scooped potato through a sieve.
Make the filling
Combine butter and cream in a saucepan and heat until boiling.
Add the sifted potato to the boiling mixture.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in optional meat if desired.
Remove from heat.
Add the yolks of three eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the potato mixture.
Fill and bake
Fill the empty potato skins with the mixture.
Stand them in a baking tin.
Brush the tops with beaten egg.
Bake in a hot oven (400°F/200°C) until heated through and golden brown.
Be careful not to scorch the tops.
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 + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Potato + meattop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together786 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Butter + meattop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,594 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the bulk of the filling and the edible shells that hold it.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel to the potato base.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the potato purée soft and spoonable.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the mixture and help bind it as they set during baking.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they lighten the mixture and help it puff and rise.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Stiff whites hold air that makes the filling rise. Folding gently keeps that air in; stirring vigorously deflates the foam and leaves a dense, flat result.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, cream, pepper, egg, meat):
- Potatothe original
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Spinachfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, cream, pepper, egg, meat. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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