Why it works: Flour and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Melted Butter
Ingredients
Directions
In a basin, mix the flour and salt.
Gradually add the cold water, stirring smoothly.
Pour the mixture into a small saucepan.
Stir constantly over medium heat until it boils for 2 minutes.
Add the butter and keep stirring until it is completely dissolved.
Boil the sauce for 1 more minute and serve quickly.
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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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Flour
- Thickens the liquid as it heats, giving the sauce body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, glossy mouthfeel to the finished sauce.
The step that matters
Stir constantly while the mixture comes to the boil. Flour in cold liquid can clump if left unstirred. Constant stirring disperses the starch evenly so the sauce thickens smoothly rather than lumpily.
“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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