Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Slippery Elm Tea
Ingredients
Directions
In a tumbler, combine the powdered slippery elm and cold water, then stir well to mix.
Add lemon and sugar to taste.
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.
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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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Slippery elm
- Its mucilage thickens the water, giving the tea a silky, viscous body.
- Lemon
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the tartness of the lemon.
The step that matters
Stir the slippery elm into the cold water thoroughly. Powdered slippery elm clumps easily when it meets liquid. Stirring it well disperses the particles before they hydrate, so the tea thickens evenly rather than forming lumps.
“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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