Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Sugar Candt
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the sugar
Combine one quart of white sugar, half a pint of water, one tablespoonful of vinegar, and a piece of butter the size of an egg. Do not stir at all.
Test and finish
Try in water and when brittle pull.
Add one half teaspoon of cream tartar if desired.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Vinegar + creamtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,064 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- White sugar
- Dissolves into the syrup and sets into the candy's sweet, firm structure as it cools.
- Water
- Dissolves the sugar so it can be cooked into an even syrup.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that helps keep the sugar from crystallizing into a grainy texture.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat that softens the candy's texture and helps keep it smooth.
- Cream tartar
- Acid that helps prevent sugar crystals from forming, keeping the candy smooth.
The step that matters
Do not stir at all. Stirring a boiling sugar syrup can knock loose sugar crystals into it, which then spread and make the candy grainy instead of smooth. Leaving it undisturbed lets the syrup cook evenly and stay clear.
“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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