Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Water Ices and Sherbets
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Boil sugar and water in a pot to create a rich syrup, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
Once it boils, skim off any foam and strain the syrup through muslin.
Cork the syrup tightly in a bottle or jug and refrigerate.
Make the sherbet
To make sherbet, beat the egg white until frothy, then add powdered sugar and beat until stiff.
After the ice is frozen, fold in the egg meringue for a light and creamy 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.
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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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 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
- Granulated sugar
- Dissolves into the water to form a syrup that sweetens and keeps the ice smooth.
- Egg
- Its whipped white forms a meringue that lightens the sherbet and adds a creamy texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Stabilises the whipped egg white so the meringue holds its stiff shape.
The step that matters
Stirring the syrup while it boils. Sugar syrup can scorch on the bottom of the pot if not stirred constantly, giving a burnt taste that spoils the whole batch. Skimming foam as it boils keeps the syrup clear.
“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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