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 ↓
Corn Gems
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the batter
In a mixing bowl, place the cornmeal and add the butter in the center.
Pour the boiling milk over the butter and stir well.
Add the cold milk, beaten eggs, salt, and flour mixed with baking powder. Stir thoroughly to combine.
Bake
Bake in well-oiled and heated gem pans for 30 minutes.
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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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
- Cornmeal
- Forms the bulk of the batter and gives the cakes their grainy, sturdy structure.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure as they set during baking.
- All-purpose flour
- Adds gluten-based structure so the cakes hold together with a tender crumb.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the cakes rise and lighten.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, contributing flavor and a tender texture.
- Boiling milk
- Hydrates and partly cooks the cornmeal, softening the batter and adding moisture.
The step that matters
Pouring the boiling milk over the butter and cornmeal. Boiling liquid swells the starch in cornmeal and melts the butter evenly. Stirring it in well prevents dry pockets and lumps, which would make the cakes uneven in texture.
“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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