Why it works: Sugar and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,806 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
To Clarify Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Beat the white of an egg with a cupful of cold water.
Pour the mixture into a very clean iron or thick new tin saucepan.
Add four cupfuls of sugar and a cupful of warm water to the saucepan.
Clarify
Heat the mixture moderately until scum rises to the surface.
Remove the pan and skim off the scum.
Return the pan to the heat and continue until scum rises again.
Repeat the removal and skimming until no scum rises.
(Optional) Add a teaspoonful of vinegar to prevent graining.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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.
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg white (in the method)
- Traps impurities in the syrup so they rise as scum that can be skimmed off.
- Sugar
- Forms the sweet syrup that is clarified and sets into the jelly.
- Vinegar
- Acid that helps prevent the sugar from crystallising into grains.
The step that matters
Skimming the scum until none rises. Scum left in the syrup stays in the finished jelly and clouds it. Repeating the heat and skim cycle until no scum forms removes the impurities the egg white has gathered, so the jelly stays clear.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.