Why it works: Orange and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Candied Orange Peel
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the peels
Save orange peels in a jar of salt and water.
When ready to candy, place peels in cold water and boil until well heated.
Drain and place in clear water, changing until the bitterness is removed and peels are tender.
Chop the tender peels and weigh them.
Candy and dry
Use equal parts sugar and orange peel by weight.
Add a little water to dissolve the sugar.
Cook the peels in the sugar syrup until clear.
Remove from syrup, place on plates with sugar, and set in a warm place to dry.
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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Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Orange and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Orange peels
- Provide the main body and bitter citrus flavour that the candying process mellows.
- Sugar
- Forms the syrup that penetrates the peel, sweetening it and preserving it as it dries.
The step that matters
Removing the bitterness before candying. Orange peel holds bitter compounds that don't fully leave in one soak. Changing the water until the peel tastes mild and is tender ensures the sugar syrup yields a sweet, pleasant result rather than a harsh one.
“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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