Why it works: Apricot and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,630 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Apricot Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean and bruise the apricots thoroughly.
Cook
Boil the bruised apricots for 15 to 20 minutes before adding sugar.
Add ¾ pound of sugar for every pound of fruit and boil for an additional 30 minutes.
Stir constantly while boiling to prevent sticking.
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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Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,630 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apricots
- Provide the fruit, flavor, and natural pectin that helps the jam thicken and set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the fruit, thickens the jam as water evaporates, and helps it keep.
The step that matters
Stir constantly while boiling. As water evaporates, the sugar and fruit concentrate and can scorch on the bottom of the pot. Constant stirring keeps the mixture moving so it cooks evenly and does not stick or burn.
“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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