Why it works: Grape and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,490 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Grape Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the grapes
Pick grapes from their stems and wash them.
Place grapes in a pot with water to prevent burning.
Stew grapes for a few moments, then mash gently with a spoon.
Extract the juice
Strain the mixture to extract the juice.
Make the jelly
For every pint of juice, add 1 pound of white sugar.
Bring the juice to a boil and boil for 20 minutes.
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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Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Grapes
- Provide the juice that forms the jelly and most of its fruit flavor.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the juice thicken into a set jelly when boiled.
The step that matters
Boiling the juice with sugar. Boiling evaporates water and concentrates the sugar and fruit solids until the mixture reaches the point where it sets. Boiling too briefly leaves the jelly runny, while boiling too long can make it overly stiff.
“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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