Why it works: Gelatin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,778 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Strawberry Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the strawberries and gelatin
Crush the strawberries with ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar.
Run the crushed strawberries through a sieve.
Dissolve the gelatin in the remaining 1 cup of cold water, stirring thoroughly.
Make the syrup
Boil ½ cup of cold water and ¼ cup of granulated sugar for 10 minutes.
As the boiling syrup comes off the heat, pour it into the dissolved gelatin.
Combine and set
Combine the gelatin mixture with the strawberry mixture and fold in the beaten egg whites.
Beat the mixture for 10 minutes with a wire paddle or a Dover beater.
Pour into individual molds or one large mold.
If using a large mold, serve in slices.
Serve with whipped cream or well-sweetened crushed berries.
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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Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Gelatin + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatin
- Sets the liquid into a firm, sliceable pudding structure.
- Strawberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour, colour and moisture.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into foam to lighten the texture of the pudding.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the boiled syrup and balances the tartness of the berries.
The step that matters
Beat the mixture for 10 minutes. Beating while the gelatin begins to set traps air and builds a light, even texture. Beating too late, after the mixture is firm, will not incorporate air well.
“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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