Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Oatmeal Griddle Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat the milk into the oatmeal.
Add the salt, egg yolks, and boiling water. Mix well.
Sift the flour with the baking powder. Add to the mixture and beat again.
Fold in the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks.
Cook
Grease a hot griddle with fat.
Pour batter onto the griddle to cook until golden brown.
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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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, 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
- Eggs
- Egg whites beaten to stiff peaks add lightness and help the pancakes rise and stay tender.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, causing the pancakes to rise and become light.
- Oatmeal
- Supplies bulk and a soft, moist texture to the batter.
- Flour
- Provides structure so the pancakes hold their shape while cooking.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and helps bind the batter while enriching flavor.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Beaten egg whites hold air that gives lift. Stirring them in vigorously knocks the air out, leaving flat, dense pancakes. Fold gently so the batter stays light.
“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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