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 ↓
Currant Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Make the jam
Place the currants in a preserving kettle and boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often and skimming off any foam.
Add the sugar and boil for an additional 30 minutes, stirring almost constantly.
Jar and seal
Pour the jam into small jars or glasses and seal.
Alternatively, press a paper cut to fit the glasses on the fruit, then cover with larger papers brushed with egg white, folding the edges over the glass.
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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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
- Currants
- Provide the fruit flavour and natural pectin that help the jam thicken and set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, with boiling, helps it thicken and keep well.
The step that matters
Stirring during the sugar boil. Sugar sitting on the bottom of a hot kettle can scorch and taint the jam, so stirring almost constantly keeps it even. Boiling long enough lets the sugar and fruit reach the concentration needed to set.
“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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