Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Roasted Almonds
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bright tin pan, combine the dry almonds with the salad oil.
Roast and season
Place the pan in the oven and stir the almonds occasionally.
When they start to brown, sprinkle with salt.
Let them brown for a few more moments, then remove from the oven.
Sift powdered sugar over the almonds while they are still warm.
Cool and store
Allow the almonds to cool completely before storing them in an air‑tight box.
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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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Blanched jordan almonds
- Form the main body of the snack and brown in the oven to develop a nutty flavour.
- Salad oil
- Coats the almonds so they toast evenly and take on color without drying out.
- Coarse sea salt
- Adds a savoury contrast that sharpens the sweetness and roasted flavour.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds a light sweet coating that melts slightly onto the warm almonds.
The step that matters
Sprinkling salt once the almonds start to brown. Salt and sugar stick best to warm, slightly oily nuts, so timing matters. Almonds can scorch quickly once browning starts, so stirring and watching closely prevents bitter, burnt flavour.
“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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