Why it works: Gelatin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,778 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Tomato Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the gelatin
Dissolve the gelatin in cold water.
Make the tomato mixture
Scald the strained tomatoes with water.
Season the mixture with salt, paprika, and sugar.
Add the dissolved gelatin and mix well.
Set and serve
Pour into a square tin, about 1 inch deep.
Cool, cut into squares, and serve on lettuce leaves with mayonnaise.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Gelatin + tomatotop 30% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together53 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-nonanal (fatty, waxy).
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Tomato + sugartop 33% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together4,667 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
- Gelatin
- Sets the liquid into a firm, sliceable jelly as it cools.
- Strained tomatoes
- Provide the main flavour and liquid body of the jelly.
The step that matters
Add the dissolved gelatin and mix well. Gelatin must be fully dissolved and evenly distributed before setting; lumps or unmixed pockets will leave soft or uneven spots in the finished jelly.
“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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