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 and Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Cook the macaroni
Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water for 20 minutes.
Drain and rinse with cold water.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add flour, and stir to make a roux.
Gradually add milk, stirring until thickened; season with salt.
Assemble and bake
In a baking dish, layer grated cheese, sauce, and macaroni until full.
Top with bread crumbs and a little cheese.
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.
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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Milk + cheesetop 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
- Provides the starchy body and bulk that holds the sauce in every bite.
- Butter
- Enriches the roux with fat, adding richness and a smooth mouthfeel to the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a smooth sauce as it cooks with the melted butter.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, which thickens as the starch gelatinises.
- Grated cheese
- Melts into the sauce, adding savoury flavour and a creamy, stretchy texture.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden topping through browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Gradually add milk, stirring until thickened. Adding milk slowly while stirring keeps the flour evenly dispersed, so the sauce thickens smoothly without lumps.
“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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