Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Pineapple Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the flour, milk, and egg yolks to create a light batter.
Beat the egg whites until frothy and fold them into the batter.
Bruise the pineapple slices into a pulp and stir into the batter along with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Fry and serve
Heat a pan over medium‑high heat and add fresh butter.
Ladle the batter into the pan to form fritters, frying until golden brown, turning only once.
Remove the fritters to a dish and 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.
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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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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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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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fine flour
- Provides the starch structure that holds the batter together and sets when fried.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and emulsify the batter, giving a tender, smooth texture.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a froth, they lighten the batter and help the fritters puff and stay airy.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and gives the batter its liquid body and soft crumb.
- Pineapple
- Adds moisture, sweetness and acidity, flavouring the batter throughout.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whites must be beaten until frothy and folded gently so the air is kept. Overmixing deflates the foam, leaving the fritters dense instead of 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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