Why it works: Egg and sugar 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 ↓
Unboiled French Candies
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, mix the egg whites and water until well combined.
Gradually add confectioners' powdered sugar until you achieve a firm but not hard paste.
Use the mixture immediately, as it will harden quickly.
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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Egg + sugartop 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
- Egg whites
- Provide the protein that binds the sugar into a paste and gives the candy its structure.
- Confectioners' powdered sugar
- Supplies the sweetness and, with the egg whites, stiffens into a firm, workable paste.
The step that matters
Adding the powdered sugar. Sugar must be added gradually so the paste stays firm but not hard. Too much sugar at once makes it stiff and dry, and it sets quickly once mixed, so it should be used right away.
“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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