Why it works: Apple and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Apple Water
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare and quarter the apple without coring it.
In a saucepan, combine the apple and cold water.
Cook and strain
Boil covered until the apple breaks down.
Strain the mixture, pressing the apple in a cloth.
Strain again through a finer bag and let cool.
Sweeten and serve
Sweeten with white sugar and serve chilled.
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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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
- Pippin apple
- Provides the main apple flavour and natural pectin that gives the drink body.
- Cold water
- Extracts flavour and juice from the apple as it boils and breaks down.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness, balancing the tartness of the apple.
The step that matters
Boil covered until the apple breaks down. Keeping the lid on holds in steam and moisture so the apple softens and releases its juice evenly. Boiling uncovered would reduce the liquid and concentrate flavour too much, so the lid helps keep the water level and taste balanced.
“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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