Why it works: Sugar and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Orange Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Slice six oranges and three lemons very thin, rejecting rough ends and seeds.
To each pound of fruit add one and one-half pints of water.
Let stand twenty-four hours.
Cook to a jelly
Boil gently until skins are tender.
Let stand another twenty-four hours.
To each pound of mixture add one and one-half pounds sugar.
Cook until syrup jellies and skins are transparent.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
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. See the original page.
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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Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and orange barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Oranges
- Provide the peel, pulp and bitter aroma, and the skins that give the marmalade its body.
- Lemons (in the method)
- Add acidity and extra natural pectin, which helps the marmalade set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the marmalade and, as it cooks, helps the syrup thicken and set to a jelly.
The step that matters
Cook until syrup jellies and skins are transparent. Sugar, acid and pectin set into a gel only at a high enough concentration. Stopping too early leaves a runny syrup, while overcooking can make it stiff and dull.
“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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