Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Lemon Ice No. 2
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the base
In a large bowl, combine 1 quart of water, the juice of 4 lemons, and 2 cups of sugar.
Strain the mixture to remove any pulp.
Add the egg whites
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the lemon mixture.
Freeze
Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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.
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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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Adds sweetness and balances the sharp acidity of the lemon juice.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they add airy structure and a light, smooth texture.
- Lemon juice
- Supplies the tart, bright flavour and acidity that defines the dessert.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold air, which gives lightness. Overmixing or stirring vigorously deflates the foam, so the mixture becomes dense. Fold gently with a spatula, cutting through and turning the mixture, to keep the air in.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Datesfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. 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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