Why it works: Lemon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,318 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Lemon Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat the egg yolks well.
Add the flour and enough milk to make a stiff batter.
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Mix in the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peel or extract. Fold the egg whites into the batter gently.
Fry and serve
Heat lard in a deep pan until it begins to smoke.
Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot lard without crowding the pan.
Cook until the fritters brown quickly. Turn them with a wire spoon. If they darken too quickly, reduce the heat.
Remove the fritters from the fat and drain on a napkin or paper.
Dust with sugar and nutmeg before serving.
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.
-
Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Eggs
- Whipped whites give the batter lightness and help the fritters puff while frying.
- Flour
- Provides structure so the batter holds its shape in the hot fat.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the flour into a batter.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the fritters brown in the hot fat.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity and bright lemon flavour to the batter.
The step that matters
Keep the fat hot and do not crowd the pan. Hot fat seals the outside of the batter quickly, so the fritters puff and do not soak up grease. Crowding drops the fat temperature, making them greasy and heavy. Watch the browning, since the surface can darken before the centre cooks.
Swap the nutmeg
The recipe marks nutmeg as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, flour, sugar, milk, lemon):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Turmericfits less well
- Parsleyfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, flour, sugar, milk, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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.
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 recipes
Lemon Custard64 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.