Why it works: Egg and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Johnny-cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Beat the eggs until very light.
Add the eggs to the buttermilk.
Mix in the cornmeal, melted butter, and salt.
Dissolve the baking soda in 2 tablespoons of boiling water and add to the batter.
Mix thoroughly and pour into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
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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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Buttermilk + buttertop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,674 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Buttermilk + eggtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,986 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and help bind the batter together.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and tang, and reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise.
- Cornmeal
- Provides the main body and coarse, grainy texture of the cake.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas that makes the cake rise.
- Butter
- Adds fat for flavor and a tender crumb.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda. Baking soda must be fully dissolved and mixed through the batter so it reacts evenly with the acidic buttermilk. Uneven distribution leaves pockets of bitterness and uneven rising.
“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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