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 ↓
Shredded Codfish with 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.
Prepare
Boil the macaroni for 20 minutes and drain.
Assemble the casserole
Place the macaroni in a pudding dish and sprinkle a third of the shredded codfish over it.
Add enough milk to almost cover the macaroni.
Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top.
Beat the eggs until light, then mix in ½ cup of milk.
Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni and codfish.
Bake and serve
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
Serve hot.
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.
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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
- Macaroni
- Forms the bulk and body of the casserole, holding its shape when baked.
- Eggs
- Set when baked, binding the macaroni and codfish into a firm, sliceable custard.
- Milk
- Moistens the dish and, with the eggs, forms the custard that sets during baking.
- Shredded codfish
- Adds the salty, savory fish flavor that runs through the whole casserole.
The step that matters
Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni and codfish. The beaten eggs must be evenly mixed with the milk so they set into a uniform custard rather than in pockets. Baking the dish fully is what sets the eggs and holds the casserole together.
“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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