Why it works: Apple and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Bacon and Apples
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Core the apples and cut them into crosswise rings about ¼ inch thick.
Lay the apple rings on thin slices of bacon in a well buttered bag. Dust lightly with sugar, seal the bag, and cook in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for eight minutes.
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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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
- Apples
- Provide the fruit base that softens and turns sweet-tart as it cooks.
- Streaky bacon
- Wraps the apple rings and renders fat that flavors and browns the fruit.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the apple surfaces caramelize and brown in the oven.
The step that matters
Sealing the bag before baking. A tightly sealed bag traps steam and fat around the apples, keeping them moist while the bacon cooks. If the bag leaks, the juices and fat escape and the apples may dry or brown unevenly.
“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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