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 Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the quinces
Pare, quarter, and core the quinces, then weigh them.
Place the quinces in a pot with 1 pint of water for each pound of fruit.
Simmer gently until the quinces are slightly broken, but the juice remains pale.
Extract the juice
Strain the mixture through a jelly bag or fine cloth without pressing.
Weigh the juice and pour it into a clean preserving pan.
Make the jelly
Boil the juice quickly for 20 minutes.
Stir in 12 ounces of sugar for each pound of juice until dissolved.
Continue stirring and skimming for 10 to 20 minutes until it jellies.
Pour the jelly into glasses or molds.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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
- Quinces
- Provide the fruit pectin and tart flavor that let the juice set into a jelly.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, with boiling, helps the juice thicken and set into a firm jelly.
The step that matters
Straining without pressing. Squeezing the bag forces cloudy solids and starch-rich pulp into the juice, which makes the jelly cloudy and can weaken clarity. Letting it drip slowly keeps the jelly clear and pale.
“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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