Why it works: Apple and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Apple or Quince Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit by removing any blemishes and cutting it into pieces.
Boil the fruit juice for 15 minutes before adding sugar.
Heat the sugar while the juice is boiling.
Once the sugar is added, boil quickly without stopping until the jelly is done.
Strain the jelly two to three times for clarity, without squeezing.
After pouring the jelly into glasses, sprinkle crushed sugar on top to prevent mold.
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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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
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