Why it works: Milk and butter 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 says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Cook the macaroni
Cook the macaroni in boiling water for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
Drain the water and add the milk; cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Make the cheese mixture
Remove from heat and stir in half of the cheese, butter, salt, cayenne, and beaten egg.
Bake and serve
Pour the mixture into a buttered baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until brown.
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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Milk + buttertop 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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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Cheese + peppertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,861 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Provides the starchy body that the sauce clings to and holds the dish together.
- Cheese
- Melts into the sauce for rich flavour and creamy texture, and browns on top.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, giving it a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Egg
- Adds structure, setting the sauce into a custard-like body when baked.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, contributing to a smooth mouthfeel and flavour.
The step that matters
Stirring in the egg off the heat. Egg proteins set when heated, so adding beaten egg to a very hot mixture can scramble it. Removing the pan from heat first and stirring gently keeps the sauce smooth.
“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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