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 ↓
Yorkshire Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine the flour and salt.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs with a little milk.
Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour, mixing in enough milk or water to create a thick batter.
Beat the batter for ten minutes.
Bake
Heat a little fat in a baking pan.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 400°F (200°C).
For best results, bake under a joint of meat; if not possible, add a little fat on top of the batter.
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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Egg + milktop 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
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the batter that puffs and sets as it bakes.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and provide lift and structure as they set in the hot oven.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter to a pourable consistency.
The step that matters
Heat the fat before pouring the batter. The batter must hit very hot fat so it sizzles on contact and begins to steam and rise quickly. A cold pan lets the batter spread and bake flat instead of puffing.
“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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