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 ↓
Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Break macaroni into 1-inch pieces.
Boil in a saucepan of salted water for 20 minutes.
Drain and place in a well-buttered baking dish.
Bake and serve
Layer with grated cheese, pepper, and bits of butter.
Pour ½ cup of milk or cream over the top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
Serve 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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + peppertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,861 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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 provides the starchy structure that holds the sauce.
- Grated cheese
- Melts into the milk or cream to create a rich, creamy sauce and savory flavor.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, and helps the top brown lightly in the oven.
- Milk or cream
- Provides liquid that combines with the cheese and starch to form a moist, creamy sauce.
The step that matters
Pour the milk or cream evenly over the top. The liquid must reach the pasta and cheese layers to hydrate the macaroni and form a smooth sauce during baking. Pouring it unevenly can leave dry pasta in some spots and pooled liquid in others.
“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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