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
Rub off the down from the quinces, core, and cut them into small pieces.
Extract the juice
Place the quinces in a preserving kettle with ½ cup of water for each pound.
Stew gently until soft, without mashing.
Put the quinces in a thin muslin bag with the liquid and press lightly.
Make the jelly
For each pint of liquid, add 1 pound of sugar and stir until dissolved.
Boil gently until it reaches a jelly consistency when cooled on a plate.
Pot and set
Pour into pots or tumblers and secure as directed for jellies once cold.
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
- Quince
- Provides the pectin and tart flavor that set the jelly and give it its character.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the jelly set when boiled with the strained juice.
The step that matters
Boil gently until it reaches a jelly consistency. Boiling until the mixture reaches the setting point concentrates the sugar and pectin enough for the jelly to firm when cool. Undercooked jelly stays runny, while overcooking can make it stiff or darken 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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