Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Citron Ice
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Make 2 quarts of rich lemonade.
Flavor the lemonade with grated lemon rind or by rubbing sugar over the lemons.
If using grated rind, strain the lemonade.
Slice enough citron to fill a ½ pint measure loosely.
Add the sliced citron to the lemonade.
Add the citron to the lemonade.
Heat the mixture on the stove and boil for a moment.
Alternatively, prepare the mixture the night before without boiling.
Finish and freeze
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Gradually mix the beaten egg whites into the lemonade mixture before freezing.
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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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Lemonade
- Forms the liquid base, carrying the lemon flavor and sweetness through the ice.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a stiff froth, they add lightness and a smoother, airier texture to the frozen ice.
- Citron
- Adds candied fruit flavor and chewy bits throughout the ice.
The step that matters
Beating and folding in the egg whites. Egg whites must be beaten to a stiff froth and mixed in gradually so the foam is not deflated. Well-whipped whites trap air, which keeps the frozen ice light rather than dense.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Datesfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. 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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