Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Lobster Chowder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the lobster meat into small pieces.
Roll the crackers finely.
Cook and serve
In a pot, combine the butter, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Add the milk and water, then stir in the chopped lobster.
Boil for 2-3 minutes and serve.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Lobster + buttertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Pepper + milktop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Lobster + milktop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together489 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobster
- Forms the main body of the chowder and gives it its sweet, delicate flavor.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a rounded, savory flavor.
- Milk
- Provides the creamy liquid base and body of the chowder.
- Crackers
- Starch that absorbs liquid and helps thicken the chowder.
The step that matters
Boil for 2-3 minutes and serve. Lobster meat turns tough and rubbery when overcooked, and milk can scorch or separate at a hard boil. Keep the heat controlled and serve promptly once the lobster is heated through.
“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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