Name: Cidee Jelly
Ingredients: 1 package (1.5 ounces) of gelatin; Grated rind of 1 lemon; Juice of 3 lemons; 1 pint of cold water; 2.5 pounds of loaf sugar; 3 pints of boiling water; 1 pint of cider

Why it works: Gelatin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,778 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Cidee Jelly

Ingredients

Directions

In a bowl, combine the gelatin, grated lemon rind, and lemon juice.
Add 1 pint of cold water and let it stand for 1 hour.
Stir in 2.5 pounds of loaf sugar and 3 pints of boiling water until dissolved.
Finally, add 1 pint of cider.
Pour the mixture into molds and set in a cool place to set.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,778 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together53,532 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon + cidertop 24% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together986 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Gelatin + lemontop 27% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together1,215 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-pinene (pine, resin).
Sugar + cidertop 27% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,308 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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

Gelatin: Forms the gel network that gives the jelly its firm, sliceable set.
Loaf sugar: Adds sweetness and body to the liquid and helps give the jelly a clear, smooth texture.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that balances the sweetness and brightens the cider flavor.
Cider: Supplies the main apple flavor and liquid for the jelly.