Why it works: Pepper and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Macaroni Cheese
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.
Prepare the macaroni
Break the macaroni into 1-inch lengths.
Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 25 minutes until tender.
Drain the macaroni well in a colander.
Make the sauce
Melt 2 oz. butter.
Mix the melted butter with 2 oz. flour and ½ pint milk or tomato pulp.
Assemble and bake
Combine the sauce with the macaroni and about three-quarters of the grated cheese.
Season the mixture to taste.
Pour the mixture into a pie dish or china souffle case.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 10 minutes until nicely browned.
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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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + lemontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,592 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Cheese + mustardtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,805 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
- Macaroni
- Forms the bulk and chewy structure of the dish once cooked until tender.
- Butter and flour (in the method)
- Form a roux that thickens the sauce so it coats the macaroni.
- Grated cheese
- Melts into the sauce for rich flavour and creaminess, and browns on top.
- Milk or tomato pulp
- Provides the liquid base of the sauce, giving it body and moisture.
- Made mustard
- Adds a sharp, savoury depth that balances the richness of the cheese.
The step that matters
Bake until nicely browned. The top should brown without drying out. Browning comes from heat reacting with the sugars and proteins in the cheese, so watch the surface closely rather than relying only on the timer.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cheese, mustard, tomato, pepper):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Cherryfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cheese, mustard, tomato, pepper. 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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