Why it works: Pear and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,079 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Baked Pears
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Wipe, quarter, and core the pears.
Place the pears in a deep pudding dish.
Sprinkle with sugar or a little molasses.
Add enough water to prevent the pears from burning.
Bake
Cover the dish and bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 2 to 3 hours.
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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Pear + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,079 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
- Pears
- Soften slowly in the oven and release juice that becomes the syrup.
- Sugar or molasses
- Adds sweetness and deepens the flavour as the pears slowly caramelise.
- Water
- Creates steam and a moist base so the pears cook gently without scorching.
The step that matters
Add enough water. Without enough liquid in the dish, the sugar and fruit sugars can scorch on the bottom during the long bake. Water keeps the dish moist and the heat gentle, so the pears soften evenly.
“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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