Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Lemonade, Nourishing, for Fever Patients
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl or pitcher, mix arrow-root with cold water.
Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
Add white sugar and stir well.
Pour in boiling water to fill the dish, stirring constantly.
Cover and let it cool before serving.
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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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
What each ingredient does
- Arrow-root
- Thickens the drink into a smooth, slightly silky body as it heats and sets.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the sharpness of the lemon juice.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity and bright citrus flavour.
The step that matters
Pour in boiling water while stirring constantly. Arrow-root starch thickens when heated in liquid and can clump if it is added without constant stirring. Keeping the mixture moving spreads the starch evenly so the drink becomes smooth rather than lumpy.
“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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