Why it works: Syrup and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 30% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,796 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Sugar Spinning
Ingredients
Directions
Rub the molds with butter or oil.
Boil the clarified syrup until it reaches the caramel stage, keeping the sides of the pan free from sugar.
When it reaches the crack stage, add a little acid to grease it.
Dip the bottom of the pan in cold water and let it cool slightly.
Using a common tablespoon, dip it in the sugar and hold the mold in your left hand to spin the sugar.
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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Syrup + buttertop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,796 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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