Why it works: Rice and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,374 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Raised Rice Muffins
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Substitute hot boiled rice for hominy in the raised hominy muffins recipe.
In a separate bowl, combine scalded milk, sugar, and salt.
When lukewarm, add the dissolved yeast.
Work the oatmeal into the flour with your fingertips, then add to the milk mixture.
Add the beaten egg whites to the mixture.
Beat thoroughly, cover, and let rise overnight.
Bake
In the morning, fill buttered gem pans two-thirds full.
Let rise on the back of the range until the mixture fills the pans.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 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.
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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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rice + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,611 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk and flour 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
- Egg whites
- Beaten until stiff, they add airy lift and help the muffins rise and set light.
- Yeast
- Ferments the batter so it rises slowly overnight and gives the muffins an open, airy crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the risen batter together as it bakes.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, and its scalding helps tenderise the dough.
- Cooked oatmeal
- Adds moisture and body, softening the crumb and giving a tender texture.
The step that matters
Letting the batter rise overnight. Yeast needs time to ferment and build gas bubbles; rising too briefly leaves dense muffins, while the batter must be fully risen before baking so the structure sets light.
“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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