Why it works: Milk and butter 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 ↓
Baked Macaroni
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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the sauce
Cook the macaroni according to package instructions until al dente, then drain.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then stir in the flour to make a roux.
Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
Add the cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until the cheese melts.
Bake and serve
Combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce and mix well.
Transfer to a baking dish, top with crushed crackers, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20-25 minutes until golden.
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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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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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).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Provides the bulk and starchy body that the sauce coats and holds together.
- Butter
- Enriches the roux and adds fat for a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a sauce when cooked with the butter as a roux.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, which thickens as the starch gelatinises.
- Grated cheese
- Adds savoury flavour and melts into the sauce for a creamy, cohesive texture.
The step that matters
Thickening the milk into the sauce. Milk must be added gradually while stirring constantly so the flour-butter roux disperses evenly. Adding it too fast causes lumps, and the starch only thickens fully once the mixture is heated and stirred until it bubbles gently.
“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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