Why it works: Currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Currant Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the syrup
If a preserving pan is available, use it; otherwise use a four-gallon iron pot.
Put eight pounds of raw sugar and three pints of water into the pot.
Stir on the fire until the sugar boils.
Remove the scum that rises to the surface.
Cook the jam
After about ten minutes of boiling, add the currants.
Keep stirring while the mixture boils for half an hour.
When the jam appears thick and the currants are partly dissolved, it is ready to pour into stone jars.
Store
Allow the jars to cool all night.
Tie the jars down with paper and keep them in a cold place for winter use.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 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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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 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
- Currants
- Provide the fruit, pectin and tartness that give the jam its body and flavour.
- Raw sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, as it boils down, helps set it and preserve it.
- Water
- Dissolves the sugar so it can boil evenly before the fruit is added.
The step that matters
Removing the scum before adding the currants. Scum rising during the early boil contains impurities that would cloud the jam and spoil its clarity, so it should be skimmed off first.
“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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