Why it works: Grape and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,490 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Grape Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pulp
Wash the grapes and press the pulp from the skins.
Cook the pulp until the seeds can be easily removed.
Strain the cooked pulp.
Make the jam
Add the skins and sugar to the pulp.
Cook slowly until thick.
Jar and seal
Place the mixture in a jelly glass.
When cold, seal with paraffin or paper and egg white.
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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Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Grapes
- Provide the main fruit flavor, and the skins and pulp add body to the jam.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the jam thicken and keep well.
The step that matters
Cook slowly until thick. As water evaporates, the sugar and fruit concentrate and the mixture thickens. Cooking too briefly leaves the jam runny, while high heat can scorch the sugar and fruit on the bottom of the pan. Slow cooking, with stirring, gives an even 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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