Why it works: Red currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Cherry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Pit the cherries and place them in a pot.
Add the red currant juice and fine sugar.
Boil the mixture briskly until it thickens.
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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Red currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cherries
- Provide the main fruit body, flavour, and pectin-bearing pulp that forms the jam's bulk.
- Red currant juice
- Adds tartness and natural pectin to help the jam thicken and set.
- Fine sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it thicken and keep by binding water.
The step that matters
Boiling until it thickens. Jam sets only when enough water evaporates and sugar and pectin reach the right concentration. Boiling too gently leaves it runny, while overcooking can make it stiff and sugary. Test for a set before removing it from heat.
“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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