Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Macaroni with Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Cook the pasta
Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 20 minutes.
Drain the macaroni in a colander and rinse with cold water.
Make the sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Stir in the flour to make a roux.
Gradually add the hot milk.
Stir until the sauce thickens.
Assemble and bake
Layer grated cheese, macaroni, and sauce in a baking dish, repeating the layers.
Top with fine bread crumbs, bits of butter, and a little grated cheese.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes or 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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Provides the starchy bulk that gives the dish its body and chew.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour, and helps form the roux base of the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a smooth sauce when cooked with the butter.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, giving it creaminess.
- Grated cheese
- Melts into the sauce to add savoury flavour and a stretchy, creamy texture.
- Fine bread crumbs
- Crisp and brown on top in the oven, adding contrasting texture.
The step that matters
Cooking the roux and adding the milk. Cooking the flour in butter for a moment before adding the milk coats the starch so it can thicken smoothly. Adding hot milk gradually and stirring keeps lumps from forming.
“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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