Why it works: Sugar and currant are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Combine 6 pounds of sugar, 8 pounds of raspberries, and 1 pint of currant juice in a large pot.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Boil the mixture until it reaches a rich flavor and thickens.
Pour the jam into sterilized jars and seal.
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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Sugar + curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Sugar and currant barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raspberries
- Provide the main fruit flavor and body that the jam is built on.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, as it cooks down, helps it thicken and keep.
- Currant juice
- Adds extra fruit acidity and pectin to help the jam set.
The step that matters
Boil until thickened. Jam sets as water evaporates and sugar and fruit pectin concentrate. Stopping too early leaves it runny, while cooking too long can scorch the sugar and dull the flavor.
“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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