Why it works: Syrup and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Pine-apple Chips, Dried
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Wash the pineapple slices in warm water.
Place them on sieves without touching each other.
Shake fine powdered sugar over the slices using a linen bag.
Dry and store
Turn the slices every day for three to four days in a hot stove at 400°F (200°C).
Once dry, store them in a papered box with writing paper between each layer.
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.
-
Syrup + sugartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Pineapple + syruptop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together568 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Pineapple + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,841 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pineapple slices in syrup
- Provide the fruit that dries into chips, with its sugars concentrating as moisture leaves.
- Fine powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and a light sugary coating on the slices as they dry.
The step that matters
Turning the slices every day. Regular turning lets all sides lose moisture evenly. Slices left wet on one side can stay soft and may spoil before they are fully dry.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (syrup, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Pearfits about as well
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against syrup, sugar. 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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Pineapple Sherbet116 recipes
Pineapple Pudding72 recipes
Pineapple Cream58 recipes
Pineapple Jelly39 recipes