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 ↓
Quince Honey
Ingredients
Directions
Grate the quince using a fine grater.
Combine the grated quince, water, and sugar in a preserving kettle.
Boil the mixture for 20 minutes.
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
What each ingredient does
- Quince
- Provides the main fruity flavor and natural pectin that helps the honey thicken.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, as the liquid reduces, builds the thick, syrupy body of the honey.
The step that matters
Boil the mixture for 20 minutes. As water evaporates, the mixture thickens and the sugar concentrates. Stir often and watch the bottom of the pot, since thick sugar syrup can scorch and turn bitter.
“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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