Why it works: Sugar and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Deof Scones
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the butter, sugar, carbonate of soda, tartaric acid, and syrup well for 5 minutes.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking pan.
Turn them when they start to bubble, about 5 minutes.
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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Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + syruptop 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
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, which tenderizes the scones and carries flavor.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the surface brown as it cooks.
- Carbonate of soda
- Reacts with the tartaric acid to release carbon dioxide, which lifts and aerates the batter.
- Tartaric acid
- Reacts with the carbonate of soda to produce gas for rising and adds a tangy edge.
- Syrup
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the surface brown.
The step that matters
Turning the scones. Bubbles forming on the surface show that gas has lifted the batter and the top has set enough to hold. Turning too early tears the scones, and turning too late over-browns the base.
“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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