Why it works: Red currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Stbawbebiiy- Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Make the currant juice
Strip the currants from the stalks and place them in a jar.
Put the jar in a saucepan of boiling water and simmer until the juice is extracted.
Strain the currants and measure the juice, then pour it into a preserving pan.
Add the sugar to the currant juice and stir until dissolved.
Cook the jam
Pick the strawberries from their stalks and add them to the pan.
Simmer the mixture over moderate heat for 30 to 45 minutes, removing any scum that forms.
Stir gently to prevent burning, keeping the fruit as whole as possible.
Jar
Pour the jam into jars and cover once cooled.
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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Red currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Strawberries
- Provide the main fruit body, flavour and bulk of the jam.
- Red currant juice
- Adds tartness and natural pectin to help the jam set.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps preserve it while thickening the fruit.
The step that matters
Simmer gently and stir carefully. Sugar and fruit can scorch on the bottom of the pan if heat is too high or the mixture is not stirred. Gentle stirring keeps the fruit whole and prevents burnt flavour, while simmering long enough lets the jam thicken as water evaporates.
“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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