Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Oatmeal
Ingredients
Directions
In a pot, bring water or milk to a boil.
Add oatmeal and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once cooked, serve in bowls.
Before serving, rub the yolk of the hard-boiled egg through a sieve and sprinkle on top.
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 + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oatmeal
- Forms the body of the porridge as its starches swell and thicken in the liquid.
- Water or milk
- Hydrates the oats so they soften, and milk adds richness and a creamier texture.
- Hard-boiled egg
- Yolk sieved over the top adds richness and a crumbly, savoury finish.
The step that matters
Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. Oats thicken as their starch absorbs liquid. Too much heat can scorch the bottom of the pot and make the porridge stick, while stirring keeps the texture even.
“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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