Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Orange Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Slice six oranges and three lemons thinly.
Cover the sliced fruit with four quarts of cold water and let stand for twenty-four hours.
Boil and set
Boil the mixture for one hour.
Let the boiled mixture stand for twenty-four hours.
Measure an equal quantity of sugar and add it to the mixture.
Boil for thirty or forty minutes.
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 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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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Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oranges
- Provide pectin, bitterness and aroma from peel and pulp, helping the marmalade set.
- Lemons
- Add acidity and extra pectin, which brightens flavour and helps the marmalade set.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness and, with acid and pectin, helps the mixture gel and keeps it preserved.
The step that matters
Boiling after the sugar is added. Sugar must dissolve fully and the mixture must reach the gel point. Too short a boil leaves marmalade runny, while overboiling can darken the flavour and make it stiff.
“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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