Why it works: Quince and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,444 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Cranberry and Quince Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Quarter the quinces and remove the seeds.
Cover the quinces with water and partially cook them.
Add the cranberries and cook until soft.
Strain the mixture and measure the juice.
Add sugar
Add 3 cups of sugar to every 4 cups of juice.
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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Quince + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,444 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Quinces
- Provide natural pectin and tart flavor that help the jelly set.
- Cranberries
- Add acidity, tartness, and a bright color to the jelly.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the pectin set into a firm gel.
The step that matters
Measuring the juice before adding sugar. Sugar, pectin, and acid must be in balance for the jelly to set. Measuring the strained juice and adding sugar in the stated ratio keeps that balance, so the jelly neither stays runny nor turns 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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