Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cherry Puffs
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and egg (if using).
Gradually add milk to form a batter.
Steam and serve
In cups, layer cherries and batter until full.
Steam for 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve with cream.
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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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Forms the main structure of the puffs as its starches set when heated.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the moist batter, helping the puffs rise and become light.
- Egg
- Optional; adds structure and richness that help the batter hold its shape.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour to form a batter and adds moisture and tenderness.
- Cherries
- Add fruity sweet-tart flavor and juice that soaks into the cooked batter.
The step that matters
Keep the lid on while steaming. Lifting the lid lets steam escape and the temperature drop, which can slow rising and leave the puffs dense. Steady steam cooks the batter through and helps it set.
“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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