Why it works: Lime and banana work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 167 recipes. Both carry trans-2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓
Banana Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the syrup and fruit
Place lime juice in a one quart measure.
Peel bananas and dice directly into lime juice, stirring with a wooden spoon and continuing to stir as you dice each banana into the lime juice to prevent darkening.
Measure sugar and water into a wide 2½ quart saucepan, and stir to dissolve sugar as you bring syrup to a boil.
Cover tightly for the first 2 minutes (so the steam will wash sugar crystals from side of saucepan).
Cook the jam
Uncover, add bananas (with lime) and boil over low heat for about 30 minutes or until thick.
Stir often to prevent sticking, especially during last 10 minutes.
Check for jam consistency by scraping a spoon across the bottom of the pan; the track should close slowly or jam should mound while stirring.
Jar and process
Fill hot, sterilized jars quickly with the hot jam mixture, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Wipe the sealing surface of the jars with a clean paper towel, dampened with hot water, to remove any jam or sugar crystals.
Place lids, screw on bands finger‑tight and process jars for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
Cool jars upright for 12‑24 hours while vacuum seal is drawn and jam sets up.
Let the jars sit undisturbed while they cool.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Banana | 1 medium (118g) | 105 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Lime + bananatop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together167 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Banana + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,102 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
-
Lime + sugartop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,332 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
- Bananas
- Provide the main fruit body, sweetness and flavour, and thicken as they cook down.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it set into a thick, spreadable texture.
- Fresh lime juice
- Adds acidity that brightens flavour and helps prevent the bananas from darkening.
The step that matters
Check for jam consistency before jarring. Jam thickens as it cooks and sets further as it cools. Testing the spoon track or mounding shows whether enough water has evaporated, so the jam sets properly rather than staying runny in the jar.
Swap the lime
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (banana, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Pineapplefits better
- Limethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against banana, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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