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 ↓
Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Mash the raspberries in a large bowl.
Add the red currant juice and an equal amount of sugar.
Boil the mixture for 30 minutes, or a little longer if needed.
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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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
- Raspberries
- Provide the main fruit body and flavor of the jam.
- Red currant juice
- Adds acidity and natural pectin, which help the jam set and balance sweetness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps preserve the jam while it thickens.
The step that matters
Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. Boiling drives off water so the sugar and fruit concentrate and the pectin can gel. Stopping too early leaves the jam runny, while boiling too long can make it stiff and dark.
“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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