Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Griddle Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, salt, baking soda, Indian meal, and wheat flour.
Beat the mixture well until smooth.
Cook on a preheated griddle until golden brown on both sides.
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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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Buttermilk + wheattop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together226 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Buttermilk
- Provides acidity that reacts with baking soda to lift the batter and adds tangy flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the buttermilk's acidity to release gas, helping the cakes rise and become light.
- Wheat flour
- Provides the main structure that sets the batter into cakes as it cooks.
- Indian meal
- Adds coarse cornmeal texture and flavor, giving the cakes a slightly grainy bite.
The step that matters
Cook on a preheated griddle until golden brown on both sides. A properly preheated griddle sets the outside quickly so the cakes brown evenly and do not stick or spread. Cooking too cool leads to pale, gummy centers, while cooking too hot browns the outside before the inside sets.
“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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