Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Barley Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the fruit and grain
Boil the prunes in a little water until well done.
In a separate pot, boil the barley in water until well done.
Combine and serve
Combine the prunes and barley, then season with salt and sugar to taste.
Add the butter and milk, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Remove from heat and serve.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Barley + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together598 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Barley + buttertop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together481 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Prunes
- Soften when boiled and add sweetness and a deep, fruity flavor to the soup.
- Barley
- Absorbs liquid as it cooks, giving the soup body and a thick, hearty texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.
- Milk
- Adds liquid and creaminess, softening the soup's texture and mellowing its flavors.
The step that matters
Bringing the milk mixture to a boil. Milk can scorch on the bottom of the pot or boil over if left unattended. Stir often over moderate heat so the milk does not burn, which would give an unpleasant taste to the soup.
“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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