Why it works: Almond and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,800 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Almond Milk
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the almonds
Blanch the sweet almonds.
Pound the blanched almonds, using a little milk to prevent them from oiling.
Make the milk
Pour the boiling water over the almonds.
Stir occasionally until cool, then strain.
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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Almond + milktop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Provide the main body, fat and flavour of the milk once pounded and steeped.
- Boiling water
- Extracts the almond solids and fats into the liquid, forming the milk.
- Bitter almonds
- Add a concentrated almond aroma that gives the milk its characteristic flavour.
The step that matters
Pounding the blanched almonds with a little milk. Crushing almonds releases oil, which can separate and make the mixture greasy. Adding a little liquid while pounding helps keep the oil dispersed in a smooth, even paste.
“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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