Why it works: Quince and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,444 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Quince Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and stew
Rub off the down from the quinces, core, and cut them small.
Place the quinces in a pot with ½ cup of water for each pound.
Stew gently until soft, without mashing.
Extract and sweeten
Put the quinces in a thin muslin bag with the liquid and press lightly.
Add 1 pound of sugar for each pint of liquid and stir until dissolved.
Set and pot
Boil gently until it sets to a good jelly when cooled on a plate.
Pour into pots or tumblers and secure as directed for jellies once cold.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Quince + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,444 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Quinces
- Provide natural pectin and acid, which help the juice gel into a firm jelly.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, with boiling, helps the liquid set and keep well.
The step that matters
Boil gently until it sets on a plate. Jelly sets when enough water evaporates to concentrate the sugar, pectin and acid. Stopping too early leaves it runny, while boiling too long can make it stiff and dull in flavour. Testing a cold plate shows when it is ready.
“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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