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 ↓
Banner Waffles
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat the egg yolks lightly in a bowl.
Stir in the milk and melted butter.
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet mixture.
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.
Fold the egg whites into the batter.
Cook
Preheat and butter the waffle iron.
Cook the batter quickly.
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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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the waffle together as it cooks.
- Eggs
- Yolks add richness and binding, while whipped whites lighten the batter for a airy texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas as it heats, helping the waffles rise and turn light.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and helps form a smooth, pourable batter.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, contributing flavor and tenderness.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold air that gives lightness. Stirring them vigorously deflates the foam, so fold gently until just combined, then cook the batter quickly before it loses its rise.
“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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