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 ↓
Sugared Qxtinces
Ingredients
Directions
Wipe the quinces with a wet cloth, then peel, core, and cut them into eighths.
Place the cores and peels in a small cloth bag and boil them with the quinces in a preserving kettle covered with boiling water until tender.
Drain and cool the quinces.
Weigh the cooled quinces and use an equal amount of granulated sugar.
Layer the quinces and sugar in glass or earthen jars, sealing them airtight.
Check the jars frequently for signs of fermentation. If any appear, place the jars in a large pan of warm water, loosen the covers, and heat the water until the quinces are scalding hot.
Seal the jars airtight again after scalding.
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
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