Why it works: Flour and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Frying-batter
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a basin, combine flour and salt.
Gradually add tepid water and salad oil, mixing until smooth.
If time allows, let the batter rest for about 30 minutes.
Finish and use
Just before using, gently fold in the stiffly whisked egg whites.
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 + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 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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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the starch and gluten structure that gives the batter body and a crisp coating when fried.
- Tepid water
- Hydrates the flour and thins the batter to a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Salad oil or clarified butter
- Adds fat that tenderises the coating and helps it fry crisp rather than tough.
- Egg whites
- Whisked to stiff foam, they lighten the batter and add air for a crisp, airy coating.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Egg whites hold air only while stiff, so folding them gently just before use keeps the batter light. Overmixing knocks out the air and makes the coating dense.
“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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