Why it works: Orange and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Crystallised Orange Peel
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the peel
Peel just the skin of the washed, dried orange with a potato peeler, including only skin and no white pith.
Boil the peels in a syrup made from the sugar and water for 5 minutes, then remove the peels from the syrup.
Dry the peels on a wire rack for 4 hours.
Second syrup and dry
Boil the peels again in a fresh syrup.
Dry them again on the wire rack until brittle (about 48 hours).
Grind and store
Grind the peel in a clean coffee grinder and store it in a sealed container.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Orange and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oranges
- Supply the aromatic, oil-rich peel that gives the candied flavour.
- Caster sugar
- Sweetens the peel and, as a syrup, penetrates it so it dries firm and glossy.
The step that matters
Drying until brittle. Peel that is still moist after the second drying stays sticky and can spoil, so it must dry fully until it is brittle before grinding and storing.
“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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