Why it works: Sugar and currant 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 ↓
Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Gather raspberries on a dry day and remove the stalks.
Place raspberries in a preserve pan and mash them with a wooden spoon.
Cook the jam
Boil the mashed raspberries for 15 minutes, skimming frequently.
Add the red-currant juice and sugar, then boil for 30 minutes.
Skim the jam well after adding sugar to avoid turbidity.
Store
Pour the jam into pint cups, jars, or cans for storage.
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.
-
Sugar + curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Sugar and currant 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 body, flavour, and natural pectin that helps the jam set.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness, helps the jam set, and helps preserve it.
- Red-currant juice
- Adds acidity and extra pectin, which support setting and a bright flavour.
The step that matters
Skim the jam well after adding sugar. Foam and scum rise as the sugar dissolves and boils. If they stay in the jam they cloud it, so removing them keeps the jam clear and clean-tasting.
“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.
More raspberry jam recipes
You might also like
Red Currant Jelly65 recipes
Currant Ice Cream32 recipes
Currant Sherbet9 recipes
Currant and Raspberry Ice7 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.