Why it works: Cheese and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,130 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Cheese Balls
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
In a bowl, combine the grated cheese, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, and beaten egg, and mix well until fully combined.
Shape the balls
Mould the mixture into small round balls.
Place the balls in a wire basket.
Fry and serve
Just before serving, immerse the basket in boiling lard and cook until golden brown.
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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Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Cheese + saucetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,987 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Bread + saucetop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,934 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Cheese + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,253 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Grated cheese
- Provides the main flavour and fat, and softens and binds the mixture as it cooks.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and add body so the mixture holds its shape when formed into balls.
- Egg
- Binds the ingredients together and sets when heated, holding the balls intact.
The step that matters
Frying in boiling lard just before serving. Hot fat sets and browns the outside quickly, forming a crisp crust that holds the ball together. If the lard is not hot enough or the balls are left too long, they absorb grease, become soggy, or break apart.
“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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