Why it works: Sugar and red currant are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash and hull the strawberries.
In a large pot, combine strawberries and red currant juice.
Cook and jar
Boil for 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add sugar and boil for an additional 20 minutes, skimming off any foam.
Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
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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Sugar + red curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Strawberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour and bulk of the jam's body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it set as it thickens during boiling.
- Red currant juice
- Adds extra natural pectin and tartness to help the jam set.
The step that matters
Adding the sugar and boiling. Sugar must dissolve fully and the jam must reach a hard boil so it thickens and sets. Skimming foam keeps the jam clear and free of off-flavours.
“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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