Why it works: Cream and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,655 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Cheese Salad, II
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Dissolve gelatine in warm water.
Whip the cream and add the dissolved gelatine.
Mix in grated cheese, salt, pimentos, and Tabasco.
Mold the mixture into any shape.
Serve
Serve on lettuce leaves with mayonnaise.
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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Cream + cheesetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,655 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + lettucetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together614 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cream + lettucetop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatine
- Sets the mixture so it holds its molded shape when chilled.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a light, airy texture when whipped.
- Grated cheese
- Provides the main savoury flavour and body in the salad.
- Pimentos
- Add mild sweetness, colour and a slightly tangy flavour.
The step that matters
Dissolve the gelatine fully before adding it to the cream. Undissolved gelatine grains will not set evenly and can leave a gritty or rubbery texture. Adding the gelatine to the cream while it is still warm and liquid lets it blend in smoothly so the mould sets firm and even.
Swap the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, cheese):
- Potatofits better
- Mustardfits better
- Onionfits better
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, cheese. 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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