Why it works: Raisin and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,377 recipes. Both carry alpha-terpineol, which smells lilac, floral. The science ↓
Rice Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Cook the rice
Rinse the rice.
Add the rinsed rice to 1 quart of boiling water and cook until tender.
Mix and bake
In a separate bowl, beat together the milk, sugar, raisins or currants, nutmeg, butter, and eggs.
Add the cooked rice to the mixture and combine well.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour.
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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Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Rice + nutmegtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,779 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Rice + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together565 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the custard and help it set firm as it bakes.
- Sweet milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and adds richness and moisture.
- Rice
- Provides the bulk and tender body of the pudding.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and contributes to gentle browning on the surface.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a richer, softer texture.
The step that matters
Combine the cooked rice with the custard mixture. The rice should be fully tender and well drained before mixing, and the mixture should be combined evenly so the eggs set uniformly in the oven rather than leaving wet or curdled pockets.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, milk, sugar, nutmeg, butter, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, milk, sugar, nutmeg, butter, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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