Why it works: Butter and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Syrup for Griddle-cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the syrups
Combine 2 tablespoons water, 2 cups brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan.
Boil for 5 minutes and let cool.
Mix 2 pounds granulated sugar and 1 pint fresh water in another saucepan.
Stir in beaten egg white.
Clarify and finish
Heat the saucepan over medium heat.
When it begins to boil, ensure it bubbles and froths to clear.
After boiling for about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
Let the froth subside and skim thoroughly.
The syrup is ready for use.
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.
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + eggtop 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 white
- Its proteins coagulate when heated, trapping impurities so they rise as froth that can be skimmed off, clearing the syrup.
- Brown sugar
- Adds molasses flavour and a deep colour to the syrup.
- Granulated sugar
- Provides the bulk of the sweetness and body of the syrup.
The step that matters
Boiling until the froth clears. The egg white must be heated until it coagulates and carries impurities up into the froth. Removing the pan too early leaves cloudiness, and skimming before the froth subsides takes off too much syrup with it.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.