Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Macaroni Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the macaroni
In a saucepan, combine milk, water, and salt; bring to a boil.
Drop in the macaroni and keep boiling until tender.
Drain the macaroni and place it in a deep dish.
Assemble and brown
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it among the macaroni, then add the butter.
Top with more cheese, a little cayenne pepper, and bread crumbs.
Place the dish in a warm spot to brown the crumbs; do not use the oven.
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.
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Forms the bulk of the dish and gives it its main body once cooked until tender.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, helping the cheese blend smoothly and giving a silky mouthfeel.
- Parmesan or overland cheese
- Melts into the pasta to supply savory flavor and a creamy, binding texture.
- Milk
- Provides moisture and dairy proteins that give the sauce body and a creamy texture.
- Bread crumbs
- Browns on top to add a crisp, toasted contrast to the soft pasta beneath.
The step that matters
Browning the crumbs without the oven. The crumbs only brown through direct heat, and a warm spot may not get hot enough. Without enough heat the topping stays pale and soft instead of crisp and golden.
“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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