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 ↓
Red Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Combine raspberries and currant juice in a pot.
Boil the mixture until it reduces slightly.
Add 2 pounds of sugar, stirring constantly.
Continue boiling until the jam thickens.
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.
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
- Raspberries
- Provide the main fruit flavor, body and natural pectin-bearing pulp that gives the jam its structure.
- Currant juice
- Adds tart acidity and extra pectin to help the jam set and balance the sweetness.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam, helps it thicken as it cooks and acts as a preservative.
The step that matters
Continue boiling until the jam thickens. Sugar must be fully dissolved before a long, steady boil, and the jam must reach the gel point. Stopping too early leaves runny jam, while overcooking can make it stiff and dull in flavor.
“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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