Why it works: Cider and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 27% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,308 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Cider Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the cider until it reaches a syrupy consistency.
Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
Let the mixture cool to form a clear jelly.
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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Cider + sugartop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,308 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cider
- Provides the liquid and natural fruit pectin and flavor that set into the jelly as it reduces and cools.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the reduced cider set into a firm, clear jelly.
The step that matters
Boil the cider to a syrupy consistency. The cider must reduce enough to concentrate its sugars and pectin. Too little reduction gives a runny jelly that will not set, while over-reduction can make it stiff.
“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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