Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Potatoes Au Gratin
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the cheese sauce
Melt the butter in a frying pan.
Add the flour to the melted butter and mix until smooth.
Gradually add the milk, stirring continually until it boils.
Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, salt, and cayenne.
Assemble and bake
In a baking dish, layer some of the cheese sauce, followed by sliced cold potatoes, and repeat layers, finishing with sauce on top.
Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes to brown.
Serve in the baking dish.
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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the dish, absorbing the sauce and giving a soft, tender body.
- Butter
- Enriches the sauce and carries the flour so it cooks into a smooth base.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a smooth sauce that clings to the potatoes.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, giving it a creamy, pourable texture.
- Grated cheese
- Adds rich flavour and melts into the sauce for a savoury, stretchy body.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden topping as they brown in the oven.
The step that matters
Bring the sauce to a boil while stirring constantly. Flour needs to reach a boil to fully thicken the milk. Stirring prevents lumps and scorching on the pan bottom, giving a smooth sauce.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, milk, cheese, flour, pepper, bread):
- Potatothe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, milk, cheese, flour, pepper, bread. 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.
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