Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Meringues
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Beat the egg whites until very stiff.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating it into the egg whites with a silver spoon.
Add the flavoring at the end.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until set.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a foam that traps air, giving the meringue its light, airy structure.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves into the foam to stabilise it and add sweetness, helping it hold its shape and turn crisp.
The step that matters
Gradually add the powdered sugar. Adding the sugar slowly lets it dissolve fully into the whipped whites, which stabilises the foam. Dumping it in at once can deflate the foam and leave grainy, weeping meringue. Any trace of fat or yolk in the whites will also stop them whipping properly.
“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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