Why it works: Milk and wheat are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,418 recipes. Both carry (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, melon. The science ↓
Jelly Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and flour until light.
Fry
Heat the lard or beef fat in a frying pan until boiling hot.
Add the salt to the hot fat.
Drop the batter by large spoonfuls into the pan, leaving space between each.
Cook until one side is a delicate brown, then turn to brown the other side.
Serve
Once cooked, transfer to a dish lined with a doily.
Top each fritter with a spoonful of firm jelly 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.
-
Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Wheat + beeftop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together319 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Milk + beeftop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,759 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
-
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + wheattop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,225 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and help the fritters set as they cook.
- Wheat flour
- Forms the structure of the batter so the fritters hold their shape.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter to a pourable consistency.
- Lard or beef fat
- Conducts heat for frying and gives the fritters browning and flavour.
The step that matters
Heat the fat until boiling hot before adding batter. Very hot fat sets the outside of the batter quickly, so the fritters brown well and absorb less grease. Cooler fat lets the batter soak up oil and turn heavy.
“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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Wheat Muffins48 recipes
Whole Wheat Muffins12 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes