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 ↓
Quince Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Rub the quinces with a cloth until smooth.
Cut the quinces into small pieces.
Pack the pieces tightly in a kettle.
Pour cold water into the kettle until it reaches the level of the fruit.
Boil the mixture until the quinces are very soft.
Extract the juice
Make a three-cornered flannel bag.
Pour the fruit into the bag.
Hang the bag up to drain.
Occasionally press on the top and sides of the bag to help the juice flow, but do not press too hard to avoid expelling the pulp.
Make the jelly
To each pint of juice, add a pint of sugar and boil for fifteen minutes or until it reaches a jelly consistency.
Pour the jelly into tumblers or bowls and finish according to general directions.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
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 the fruit and natural pectin that set the jelly once cooked and strained.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the strained juice thicken into a jelly as it boils.
The step that matters
Do not press the bag too hard. Pressing hard forces fine pulp through the flannel, which makes the juice cloudy. Gentle pressing lets juice drip through slowly and keeps the jelly clear.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.