Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Fritter Batter
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the flour, milk, cream of tartar, baking soda, olive oil, and egg until the batter blisters.
Fry and serve
Heat oil in a deep pan until boiling.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil.
Fry until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove and place on a serving dish, then sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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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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Milk + olivetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,828 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the fritter together as it fries.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as the proteins set during frying.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and adds moisture and softness to the batter.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the batter so it reacts with baking soda to produce gas for lift.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in cream of tartar to release carbon dioxide, helping the fritters rise.
The step that matters
Frying in boiling oil. The oil must be hot enough that the batter sets and browns quickly on the outside. If the oil is too cool, the fritters absorb excess oil, turn greasy, and cook unevenly before the centre is done.
“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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