Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Orange Water Ice
makes one and a half gallonsIngredients
Directions
Prepare
Gather eight oranges, three lemons, three pounds loaf sugar, one box gelatin dissolved in cold water, enough to make one and a half gallons.
Pour boiling water over the gelatin after it has stood in cold water half an hour.
Make the ice
Extract the oil of both oranges and lemons by rubbing the rind with lumps of sugar.
Freeze as usual.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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.
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. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the ice and absorbs citrus oil from the rind when rubbed on it.
- Oranges
- Provide the main citrus flavour and juice for the ice.
- Lemons
- Add acidity that brightens the sweetness and flavour.
- Gelatin
- Helps the ice hold a smoother, more even texture when frozen.
The step that matters
Extracting the citrus oil by rubbing the rind with sugar. Oil is held in the outer peel, so rubbing it with sugar lifts the oil into the sugar for aroma. Rubbing too little leaves the flavour weak; the rind's bitter white pith should be avoided.
“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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