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
Slice 12 medium-sized oranges, leaving out the end piece and seeds.
Add water to make 7 pints, and let stand 24 hours.
Cook and jar
Boil until tender, then add 1 pound sugar to 1 pint fruit and the juice of 2 lemons.
Boil 10 or 15 minutes, then put in cans or jelly tumblers.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
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
- Supply the fruit, peel and pulp that form the body and bitter flavour of the marmalade.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Sweetens the marmalade and, with acid and pectin, helps it set into a gel.
- Lemons
- Juice adds acidity, which helps the marmalade set and brightens the flavour.
The step that matters
Boil 10 or 15 minutes after adding the sugar. Sugar, acid and natural pectin must be concentrated by boiling to reach the gel point. Too little boiling leaves the marmalade runny, while too much darkens the flavour and makes 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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