Why it works: Orange and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Orange Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the oranges into very thin slices.
Boil the slices in the water until soft.
Add the sugar and tartaric acid.
Boil for 1 hour.
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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Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Orange and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Oranges
- Supply the bitter peel and pulp that give marmalade its characteristic flavor and body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the marmalade and, as it cooks down, helps it thicken and set.
- Tartaric acid
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and helps keep the sugar from crystallizing.
The step that matters
Boil for 1 hour after adding the sugar. Sugar must dissolve fully and the mixture must reach a sustained boil so enough water evaporates and the pectin in the peel can set the marmalade. Too short a boil leaves it runny.
“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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