Why it works: Peppermint and vinegar work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 769 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Glaoe Kuts
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Boil one pound of sugar with a cup full of water until it hairs.
Add half a teacup full of vinegar.
Boil rapidly until a sample dropped in water cracks.
Remove the syrup and set it in a basin of boiling water.
Prepare
Have the nuts, walnuts, cream nuts, or fruits such as grapes or oranges in quarters all ready.
Butter the tin pans.
Glaze and set
Drop each piece into the syrup and turn it over with a fork to cover it.
Take it out quickly and drop it onto the pans.
Do not stir the candy.
When glacéing oranges, stick a wooden toothpick in each piece before dropping it into the liquid.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 5 ingredients. The other 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
| 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.
-
Peppermint + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together769 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + pepperminttop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,082 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Forms the hard, glassy coating that sets as the syrup cools.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that helps keep the sugar syrup smooth rather than grainy.
The step that matters
Boil the syrup to the crack stage. The syrup must reach the point where a drop hardens and cracks in cold water. If it is undercooked the glaze stays sticky, and if overcooked it turns brittle or burns. Stirring can trigger sugar crystals, so the syrup is left undisturbed.
Swap the peppermint
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, vinegar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Peppermintthe original
- Allspicefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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