Why it works: Syrup and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 30% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,796 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
On Sugar-spinning
Ingredients
Directions
Rub the mould with butter or oil.
Boil clarified syrup until it reaches the caramel stage.
Dip the bottom of the pan into cold water to cool it slightly.
Use a tablespoon to dip into the sugar and run it over the mould.
Form the sugar into a trellis-work on the mould.
Carefully loosen the sugar from the mould and let it cool completely before removing.
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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Syrup + buttertop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,796 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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