Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the batter
In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.
In another bowl, whisk the sweet milk and eggs until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Fry and serve
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Serve warm with maple syrup.
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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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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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure of the batter once it is set by frying.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness to the fritters.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the fritters rise and become light.
- Sweet milk
- Adds moisture and hydrates the flour so the batter pours and fries evenly.
The step that matters
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.. Oil that is not hot enough lets batter soak up grease and cook unevenly, while oil that is too hot browns the outside before the centre sets. Frying in small spoonfuls keeps the oil temperature steady.
“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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