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 Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the apples
Peel the apples and remove the core using a vegetable cutter.
Slice the apples into ¾-inch thick rounds.
Roll the apple slices in powdered sugar.
Fry and serve
Dip the slices into the prepared batter.
Fry the battered slices in hot fat until they are golden and crisp.
Remove the fritters onto a cloth and sprinkle with more powdered sugar.
Arrange them in a heap on a hot napkin and serve.
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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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 fruit body that softens while the batter crisps around it.
- Batter
- Forms a coating that fries into a crisp, golden shell around the apple.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and a light sugary coating on the outside of the fritters.
The step that matters
Fry the battered slices in hot fat until golden and crisp. If the fat is not hot enough, the batter absorbs oil and turns greasy instead of crisping quickly. Frying at a steady high heat sets the coating fast and keeps the apple from becoming soggy.
“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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