Why it works: Flour and buttermilk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Rice Waffles
Ingredients
Directions
Melt the lard and mix it well with the rice.
Add the buttermilk and the eggs, whipped light.
Gradually add the flour, being careful not to make the batter too stiff.
Bake in well-greased waffle irons 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.
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 + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + ricetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,611 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Buttermilk + eggtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,986 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Rice + buttermilktop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together118 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure once its gluten sets during baking.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and help the batter hold together.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and acidity, which reacts with the baking soda to aid rising.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas that lightens the waffles.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and promotes browning.
- Cold boiled rice
- Adds body and a tender, slightly chewy texture to the batter.
The step that matters
Gradually add the flour without overmixing. Flour gluten develops with stirring, and an overworked or stiff batter makes waffles tough and dense. Adding flour gradually and mixing only until combined keeps the waffles light and tender.
“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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