Why it works: Apple and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 5,598 recipes mention both. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓
Apple Soup, No. 1
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the apples
Cook the apples in a little water until soft and mushy.
Add the water, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Thicken and serve
Stir well and heat until slightly thickened.
Serve warm or cold.
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.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and cinnamon share little aroma chemistry, yet 30,779 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Apples
- Provide the bulk of the soup, and their pulp breaks down to give body.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the liquid as it heats, giving the soup a slightly thick texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the tartness of the apples.
- Cinnamon
- Adds warm aroma and flavor.
The step that matters
Heat until slightly thickened. Cornstarch only thickens when the liquid reaches a simmer and the starch granules swell. Stopping too early leaves the soup thin and can taste faintly starchy, while heating too hard or too long can thin it again.
“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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