Why it works: Currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Currant Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the currants
Pick the currants when fully ripe and rinse in cold water.
Drain in a colander, then remove stems and leaves.
Cook and strain
Place currants in a porcelain or granite ware kettle and heat in a 400°F (200°C) oven until scalded.
Once the fruit is well broken, strain the juice.
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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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Currants
- Provide the natural pectin and acid that help the jelly set and give it a tart flavour.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, with pectin and acid, helps the juice set into a firm gel.
The step that matters
Heat until the fruit is well broken. The currants must soften fully so their juice and pectin are released. Under-cooked fruit yields less juice and a weaker set when the jelly cools.
“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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