Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Meringues
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very cool oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the meringue
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat.
Mix in the last half of the sugar lightly with a wooden spoon.
Shape and bake
Shape the meringues using a piping bag or spoons.
Place on a wet board covered with paper and sift more sugar over them.
Bake in a cool oven at 300°F (150°C) until firm.
If desired, scoop out the soft centers and return to the oven to dry completely.
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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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a foam that traps air, giving the meringue its structure and light texture.
- Sugar
- Stabilizes the whipped foam and adds sweetness, helping the meringue hold its shape and become crisp.
The step that matters
Gradually add the sugar while beating. Adding sugar slowly lets it dissolve into the foam, which stabilizes the air bubbles. Dumping it in at once can leave grainy sugar and a weaker, collapsing foam.
“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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