Why it works: Currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mash the raspberries well. If using currants, combine them in a ratio of one-third currants to two-thirds raspberries.
Add the sugar to the mashed fruit and mix well.
Cook and jar
Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until it thickens.
Pour the jam into sterilized jars and seal while hot.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
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 the bulk of the jam's body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the jam thicken and keep as it cools.
- Currants
- Add tartness and extra natural pectin to the fruit mixture.
The step that matters
Cooking until it thickens. Stirring over medium heat lets water evaporate and sugar and fruit pectin set as the jam cools. Undercooking leaves it runny, while overcooking can make it stiff or scorch on the bottom.
“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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