Why it works: Milk and rice 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 ↓
Pancakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine flour and eggs.
Gradually add milk or cream to create a batter with the consistency of cream.
Beat the batter well just before using.
Let the batter rest for 1 to 2 hours if possible.
Cook and serve
Heat a slightly buttered frying pan or griddle over medium heat.
Pour batter to form thin cakes, about 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
Fry until golden brown on both sides.
Serve hot with butter, sugar, golden syrup, or maple syrup.
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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Milk + ricetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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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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Flour + ricetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,611 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the pancake together as it sets.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, helping the batter set and bind as it cooks.
- Milk or cream
- Thins the flour into a pourable batter and adds moisture and tenderness.
The step that matters
Pour batter to form thin cakes. If the batter is too thick or the pan too cool, the cakes will not spread and will cook unevenly. Thin cakes on a medium, lightly buttered surface brown evenly and set through without burning the outside first.
“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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