Why it works: Sugar and red currant 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 ↓
Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
In a preserving kettle, combine the strawberries and red currant juice.
Boil for about 30 minutes, stirring almost constantly.
Dip off most of the juice, then add the sugar.
Boil for another 30 minutes, skimming as necessary.
Pour into small jars or jelly glasses.
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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Sugar + red curranttop 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
- Strawberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour and the bulk of the jam.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it thicken and keep as it cooks.
- Red currant juice
- Adds tartness and natural pectin to help the jam set.
The step that matters
Dip off most of the juice before adding the sugar. Removing excess liquid first shortens the cooking needed to reach a set. Adding sugar to a very wet fruit mixture prolongs boiling, which can dull the fresh flavour and colour.
“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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