Why it works: Red currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Easpberry-Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pick and clean the raspberries well.
Add the raspberries to a pan alternately with the sugar.
Let the mixture stand for some time to soften the sugar.
Cook and jar
Boil over high heat until the fruit falls to the bottom.
Once done, remove from heat and pour into jars.
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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Red currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raspberries
- Provide the main fruit flavor and bulk of the jam.
- Red currant juice
- Adds liquid and natural pectin and acidity to help the jam set.
- Lump sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps preserve it and thicken the fruit.
The step that matters
Boil over high heat until the fruit falls to the bottom. Sugar and fruit must reach a high enough temperature for the pectin and acid to set the jam. Undercooking leaves it runny, while prolonged boiling can scorch the sugar and dull the flavor.
“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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