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
Steep the apples
Slice the apples and pour boiling water over them, letting it stand for 1 hour.
Strain and sweeten
Pour off the liquid.
If desired, sweeten with a little white sugar.
Alternatively, boil 10 ounces of sliced apples in 2 pints of water for 1 hour, then strain.
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
- Apples
- Provide the main fruity flavor and aroma that the liquid takes on.
- White sugar
- Adds optional sweetness to balance the tart apple flavor.
The step that matters
Letting the apples stand for the full hour. Flavor compounds move from the fruit into the hot water over time. Pouring off the liquid too early leaves a weak, pale-tasting water.
“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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