Why it works: Grape and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,490 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Grape Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Separate the pulp from the skins of the grapes.
Place the pulp in a preserving kettle with ⅓ cup of water and bring to a boil.
Run the boiled pulp through a colander to separate the seeds.
Combine the pulp and skins, then weigh them.
Cook the jam
For every pound of the mixture, add ¾ pound of white sugar.
Add just enough water to prevent burning and cook slowly for 45 minutes.
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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Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Grapes
- Provide the main fruit flavor and the bulk of the jam, with skins and pulp both contributing to the texture.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and, as it cooks down with the fruit, helps the jam thicken and keeps it preserved.
The step that matters
Adding the sugar and cooking slowly. Sugar thickens as the mixture reduces, but the dense mixture can scorch on the bottom of the kettle. Keeping only enough water in the pan and the heat low helps prevent burning while the jam thickens.
“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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