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 ↓
Cream Puffs
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very cool oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make and shape
Beat the egg whites until stiff, like meringue.
Squeeze the mixture through a pastry bag onto a greased and dusted baking sheet.
Bake
Bake in a cool oven at 300°F (150°C) until set.
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
- Beaten into a stiff foam that gives the puffs their light, airy structure.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the mixture hold its shape while it sets.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites until stiff. Under-beaten whites will not hold enough air to lift and set the puffs, while over-beaten whites turn dry and grainy and lose their elasticity. The foam must be stable enough to keep its shape through shaping and baking.
“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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