Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Macaroni
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Cook the macaroni
Boil macaroni in milk or veal broth until tender.
Drain and place in a dish without the liquid.
Layer and bake
Add bits of butter and grated cheese among the macaroni.
Grate more cheese and add a little more butter on top.
Bake in a Dutch oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes, ensuring the top does not harden.
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.
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Veal + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,381 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Milk + vealtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,013 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Forms the starchy body of the dish once cooked until tender.
- Milk
- Cooks the pasta and adds creaminess and moisture to the dish.
- Veal broth
- Cooks the pasta and adds savory depth and moisture.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, carrying flavor and a smooth mouthfeel.
- Cheese
- Melts into the pasta to add savory flavor, richness and a creamy texture.
The step that matters
Baking the top without hardening it. Cheese proteins and fats become tough and oily when overheated or left too long in dry oven heat, so the top can harden. Watching the bake time and keeping the heat moderate helps keep the surface soft and creamy.
“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.
More macaroni and cheese recipes
You might also like
Cheese Making50 recipes
Veal Patties50 recipes
Cheese Fritters34 recipes
Cheese Omelette31 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.