Why it works: Cream and sugar 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 ↓
Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Add one quart of cream, half a pound of granulated sugar, and half a vanilla bean.
Boil half the cream with the sugar and vanilla bean.
Add the remaining cream, cool, and strain.
Flavor and freeze
If using vanilla extract or other extract, do not boil it; instead add it to the cream with the sugar and freeze.
Add more flavoring to strengthen the ice cream, as it loses strength by freezing.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cream
- Provides fat that makes the ice cream rich and creamy in texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and lowers the freezing point so the ice cream stays softer.
- Vanilla bean (in the method)
- Supplies the main vanilla aroma and flavor.
The step that matters
Do not boil extract. Vanilla and other extracts are alcohol-based, and their aroma compounds are volatile, so boiling drives them off. Adding extract after the heated mixture has cooled keeps more of its flavor.
“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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