Why it works: Rhubarb and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,852 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Rhubarb Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash and cut rhubarb into 1-inch pieces without peeling.
Place rhubarb in a saucepan and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Add enough water to prevent the rhubarb from scorching.
Cook
Cover and simmer until soft.
Variations
For less sugar, pour boiling water over rhubarb, let stand for 5 minutes, then drain.
For a richer color, bake in a shallow earthen pudding dish, covered.
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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Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb
- Provides the tart flavor and the body that softens into the sauce.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the rhubarb and balances its natural tartness.
The step that matters
Add enough water before cooking. Rhubarb has little water of its own, so without added liquid it can scorch on the bottom of the pan before it softens. A little water creates steam and keeps the heat even while it simmers.
“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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