Why it works: Apricot and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,630 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Apricot Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Peel the apricots, remove the stones, and chop them.
Weigh 12 pounds of chopped apricots and place them in a preserving pan.
Add 9 pounds of sugar to the pan.
Cook and test
Place the pan over high heat and stir constantly with a long wooden spoon.
To check if the marmalade is done, drop a few drops into a glass of cold water; if they do not spread, it is ready to jar.
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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Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,630 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apricots
- Provide the fruit, pectin and tartness that give the marmalade its body and flavor.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the marmalade and, with heat, helps it thicken and set while preserving it.
The step that matters
Stirring constantly over high heat. Sugar and fruit can scorch on the bottom of a pan before the mixture thickens, giving a burnt taste. Constant stirring spreads heat evenly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches setting point.
“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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