Why it works: Butter and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,962 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Deviled Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Make the spread
Cream together the butter and grated cheese until very light.
Add the vinegar, cayenne, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce, then beat until very light.
Serve
Spread on hot buttered toast or crackers.
Serve with salads.
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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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + vinegartop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together922 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-methylbutanol (malty, whiskey).
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Sugar + saucetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together15,338 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Butter and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 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
- Butter
- Softens and enriches the spread, giving it a smooth, creamy texture.
- Grated cheese
- Provides the main cheese flavor and body of the spread.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharpness that brightens the rich butter and cheese.
- Sugar
- Adds a little sweetness that balances the vinegar's sharpness.
The step that matters
Creaming the butter and cheese until very light. Beating softened butter with cheese incorporates air and blends the fat evenly, so the spread turns light and smooth rather than dense or grainy. Stopping early leaves the mixture heavier and less spreadable.
“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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