Why it works: Sugar and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Apple Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the apples
Pare, core, quarter, and weigh the apples quickly so they do not lose colour.
To each pound of apples, pour a pint of cold water and boil until well broken, without reducing to a thick pulp.
Drain the apples well through a fine sieve or folded muslin strainer.
Pass the liquid through a jelly-bag, pouring it through a second time if needed, until transparent.
Make the jelly
Weigh the juice and reduce it by quick boiling for twenty minutes.
Draw the pan from the fire and add two pounds of sugar broken very small for every three pints of decoction.
Stir until the sugar is entirely dissolved.
Return the preserving-pan to a clear fire and boil quickly for ten minutes, or until the preserve jellies firmly on the skimmer.
Add the strained juice of a small lemon for every two pounds of jelly, two minutes before removing from the fire.
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 |
| 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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Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Apples (in the method)
- Provide the pectin and juice that set the jelly once boiled.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set firmly when boiled with the juice.
- Lemons
- Add acidity that supports pectin setting and brightens the flavour.
The step that matters
Boiling the juice with sugar until it jellies. Boiling must be brisk and timed so the sugar dissolves fully first and the pectin and acid can set the jelly. Undercooking leaves it runny, while overcooking can make it stiff or dull in flavour.
“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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