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 ↓
Oyster Stew
3 personsIngredients
Directions
Prepare
In a stewpan, combine the oyster liquor and half as much water.
Add salt, pepper, butter, and rolled cracker according to the number of servings.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Prepare the oysters in a bowl, using about 10 oysters per person.
Cook and serve
Once the liquor boils, add the oysters and boil for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and have a large dish ready with cold milk.
Pour the stew over the cold milk and serve immediately.
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,184 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Oyster + milktop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,933 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Pepper + milktop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oysters
- Provide the main flavour and tender texture, cooked only briefly so they stay plump.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a silky mouthfeel to the broth.
- Rolled cracker
- Lightly thickens the broth and adds body.
- Cold milk
- Cools the hot stew slightly and adds creaminess to the finished bowl.
The step that matters
Boil the oysters for only 30 seconds. Oysters toughen and shrink quickly when overcooked. A brief boil just firms the edges while the centres stay tender and juicy.
“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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