Why it works: Sugar and peppermint are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,082 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Peppermint Ice
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sugar
Boil sugar in water slowly until it stiffens when tested in cold water.
Pour the mixture into a flat tin.
Flavor and set
Add peppermint oil and whisk until it turns sugary.
Smooth the mixture over and cut it into small squares.
Let it stand until cold.
Optionally, color with a few drops of cochineal.
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.
-
Sugar + pepperminttop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,082 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Granulated sugar
- Forms the bulk of the candy and sets firm as the boiled syrup cools.
- Water
- Dissolves the sugar so it can be boiled into a syrup without burning.
- Oil of peppermint
- Gives the candy its strong peppermint flavor and aroma.
The step that matters
Boil slowly until it stiffens in cold water. Sugar syrup sets according to how far its water has boiled off. Boiling too little leaves a soft, sticky candy, while boiling too far makes it hard and brittle. Testing a drop in cold water shows when it has reached the right concentration.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.