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 ↓
To Clarify Sugar
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Ensure the pan is clean and bright.
Whisk the egg whites in 1 pint of water.
Break the sugar into small pieces and place it in the pan.
Pour 6 quarts of water over the sugar and set it on a clear fire to melt.
Clarify the syrup
Avoid boiling; if it starts to bubble, add 1 pint of water immediately.
Repeat adding 1 pint of water as needed for 2-3 times to prevent scum.
Once the scum rises, remove it and let the mixture simmer, adding water as necessary.
When the sugar appears clear, dip your finger in; if a drop hangs, it is ready for use.
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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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
- Their proteins coagulate with heat and trap impurities, which rise as scum that can be skimmed off.
- Lump sugar
- Forms the syrup itself; it is the material being clarified and sets the final sweetness.
The step that matters
Avoid boiling; add water when it bubbles. Vigorous boiling breaks up the coagulated egg white and drives impurities back into the syrup, making it cloudy. Adding cold water at the first bubble keeps the mixture below a hard boil so the scum can rise and be removed cleanly.
“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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