Why it works: Sugar and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Boiled Milk Icing--no Egg
Ingredients
Directions
Combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons butter (optional), 1 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup milk.
Boil for 5 minutes, or until syrup stiffens in cold water; stir until thick enough to spread.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| 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.
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 + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Sugar
- Sweetens the icing and, as water boils off, thickens into a syrup that firms as it cools.
- Milk
- Dissolves the sugar into a liquid that cooks down into a creamy, spreadable syrup.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds richness and a softer, smoother texture to the finished icing.
The step that matters
Boil until the syrup stiffens in cold water. As water evaporates, the sugar concentration rises and the icing sets as it cools. Stopping too early leaves it runny; boiling too long makes it hard and grainy.
“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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