Why it works: Sugar and egg 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 ↓
Ordinary Meringues
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the meringue
Whisk the egg whites in a copper bowl until very stiff and frothy.
Gradually mix in the sugar using a spoon until fully incorporated.
Cut sheets of sturdy paper into 2-inch wide bands.
Shape and bake
Using a tablespoon, scoop the mixture and drop it onto the paper, shaping it like an egg.
Space the meringues an inch apart on the paper bands.
Dredge sifted sugar over the meringues.
Let them sit for 3 minutes.
Shake off excess sugar.
Place the bands on a wet surface.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven until light fawn color.
Finish and dry
Carefully remove each meringue from the paper using a dessert spoon.
Scoop out the soft inside. Smooth it with the spoon.
Place meringues rounded side down on baking sheets to dry in the oven until crisp.
Store in a tin box between sheets of paper in a dry place.
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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Sugar + eggtop 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 stiff foam that traps air and gives the meringue its structure.
- Sugar
- Stabilises the whipped foam and gives the meringue its sweetness and crisp texture.
The step that matters
Whisking the egg whites until very stiff. Egg white foam must be whipped to stiff peaks so it holds air. Any trace of yolk or fat prevents the whites from whipping fully, and under-whipped foam collapses in the oven, leaving flat, dense meringues.
“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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