Why it works: Currant and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,077 recipes. The science ↓
How to Clean and Prepare Sultana Currants and Raisins for Pastry
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very slow oven”. The 300°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Lay the currants on a table; if damp, dust with a little flour to prevent sticking.
Rub the currants thoroughly.
Place the currants in a fine wire sieve and shake for 2‑3 minutes to remove flour and stalks.
Wash and dry
Set the sieve in a large dish‑pan filled with hot water and stir with a skimmer for at least 5 minutes.
Lift the sieve and let the currants drain for 3 minutes.
Spread the currants on a brown paper‑lined iron oven‑pan and place in a slow oven (300°F/150°C) for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let them dry in a warm spot for at least 2 days, or in the sun if possible.
Pick out any foreign matter and check for stones or stems.
Store
Store the cleaned currants in a closed tin box.
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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Currant + flourtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,077 recipes
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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