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
4 jelly glassesIngredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare the quince and place the peel and seeds in a pot with a little of the water to boil.
Grate the quince finely.
Make the honey
Strain the peel and seeds, then add the remaining water, sugar, and quince pulp.
Boil slowly for 40 minutes. This will fill 4 jelly glasses.
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
- Its natural pectin and tart flavour help the honey set and give it a distinct taste.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the honey and, as water evaporates during boiling, thickens it and helps it keep.
The step that matters
Boiling slowly for 40 minutes. As water evaporates, the sugar and quince pectin concentrate and gradually set the mixture. Boiling too fast can scorch the sugar or overcook the fruit, while stopping too early can leave it runny.
“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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