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French Fritters

A batter of flour, water, eggs, oil, and salt fried into golden brown fritters.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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French Fritters

Why it works: Flour and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

French Fritters

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

  1. Combine the flour in a bowl.

  2. Beat the egg yolks.

  3. Add the beaten yolks to the flour along with the cold water.

  4. Stir gradually until smooth.

  5. If needed, add more water and beat vigorously.

  6. Add the salt and olive oil.

  7. Fold in the beaten egg whites until well combined.

  8. Let the mixture rest for at least 2 hours, but no longer than 10 hours, depending on the season.

Fry and serve

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan to 360°F (182°C).

  2. Spoon the batter into the hot oil.

  3. Fry until golden brown on one side.

  4. Flip to brown the other side.

  5. Remove with a slotted spoon.

  6. Avoid using a fork to prevent steam from escaping.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

  1. Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together106,462 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Flour + olivetop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together16,871 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Egg + olivetop 31% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,340 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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 main structure of the batter once hydrated and rested.
Eggs
Egg yolks enrich the batter, and whipped whites add lightness and help it puff.
Cold water
Hydrates the flour to set the batter's consistency and moisture.
Olive oil
Adds fat for flavor and a tender, crisp texture in the batter.

The step that matters

Folding in the beaten egg whites. Whites hold air that makes the fritters light; overmixing or deflating them during folding leads to dense results. Fold gently until just combined.

“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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