Why it works: Sugar and rum are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,908 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Omelet with Rum
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the omelet
In a bowl, beat the eggs with sugar and salt.
Cook the omelet in a skillet until set.
Flambé and serve
Sprinkle sugar over the top of the omelet.
Pour rum over the omelet.
Carefully ignite the rum and serve immediately.
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 + rumtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,908 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + rumtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,589 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into the structure of the omelet as they cook, giving it body and a tender texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, sprinkled on top, caramelizes slightly under the flame for a light browned finish.
- Rum
- Provides the flavor and, when ignited, a brief flame that lends a toasty, caramelized aroma.
The step that matters
Igniting the rum. Alcohol vapour must be warm enough to catch fire, and the flame can spread to the pan or hair if the cook leans in. Pour the rum carefully, keep the pan away from cabinets and loose sleeves, and ignite with a long lighter from the side.
“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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