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 ↓
Stewed Apples
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the apples by washing and cutting them into pieces, leaving the skins on for added flavor.
Place the apples in a pot with enough cold water to cover them.
Bring to a gentle simmer without stirring, cooking for 1 to 2 hours until tender.
Skim off any foam that forms and push down the top pieces occasionally for even cooking.
Once done, remove from heat and let cool in the pot, uncovered, until cold.
Transfer the apples carefully to a serving dish, ensuring they remain whole.
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
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