Why it works: Sugar and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Ginger Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the batter
In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, flour, cornmeal, suet, sugar, treacle, ginger, and salt.
Add enough milk to form a stiff batter.
Steam and serve
Pour the batter into a greased pudding mold.
Steam the pudding for 3 hours.
Serve with a sweet sauce.
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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Cornmeal
- Gives the pudding a coarse, crumbly body that holds its shape after steaming.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides structure so the batter sets firm rather than falling apart.
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich as it steams.
- Treacle
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and a deep molasses flavor.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the batter so the pudding is not dense.
The step that matters
Steam the pudding for 3 hours. Steaming must be gentle and continuous so the batter cooks through evenly and stays moist. If the water boils dry or the mold is sealed poorly, the pudding can turn dry or soggy. Keep the water level steady throughout.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, molasses, milk):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, molasses, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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