Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Heat the milk to near boiling.
Gradually stir in the flour, sugar, and beaten egg yolks until well mixed.
Whip the egg whites until frothy and fold them into the mixture.
Cook the mixture until it thickens, then let it cool.
Finish and freeze
Beat in the cream and strawberries, then freeze the mixture.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that carries the flavor and gives the ice cream its body.
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the custard as they cook, and whipped whites add lightness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and lowers the freezing point, keeping the ice cream softer.
- Flour
- Thickens the custard so it holds together and feels smooth.
- Cream
- Adds fat, which makes the texture rich and creamy.
- Strawberries
- Provide fruit flavor, sweetness, and a touch of acidity.
The step that matters
Cook the mixture until it thickens. Egg yolks thicken the custard as they heat, but too much heat can scramble them. Cook gently and stir constantly so the custard thickens smoothly.
“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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