Why it works: Quince and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,444 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Quince Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the quince in minimal water until soft enough to break easily.
Pour off all the water and mash the quince with a spoon until smooth.
Add the brown sugar and boil for 20 minutes, stirring often.
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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Quince + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,444 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
- Quince
- Supplies the fruit pectin and flavour that set and scent the jam.
- Brown sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it thicken as the mixture reduces.
The step that matters
Stirring while the jam boils. Sugar-rich fruit mixtures scorch on the bottom of the pan easily, and frequent stirring spreads heat evenly. Stirring also keeps the jam from sticking and burning as the water evaporates and the sugar concentrates.
“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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