Why it works: Rhubarb and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,852 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Rhubarb Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the rhubarb
Place rhubarb in a pot with enough water to cover the bottom.
Cook until the rhubarb mashes easily.
Cool slightly and press through a sieve.
Make the marmalade
Return the pulp to the pot and add sugar.
Cook until it begins to thicken.
Pour into glass 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.
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.
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Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 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
- Rhubarb
- Provides the tart flavour and the pulp that becomes the marmalade.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pulp and, as it cooks down, helps it thicken and set.
The step that matters
Cook until it begins to thicken. Sugar and the fruit's natural pectin set as water evaporates and the mixture concentrates. Stopping too early leaves it runny, while cooking too long makes it 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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