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
Peel, core, and cut the quinces into pieces.
Place them in enough cold water to cover and stew gently until soft, but not red.
Strain the juice without pressure and weigh it.
Make the jelly
For each pound of juice, add 1 pound of crushed sugar.
Boil the juice for 20 minutes, then add the sugar and boil again until it jellies, about 30 minutes.
Stir and skim well throughout the process.
Strain and set
Strain through a thin cloth into jelly glasses and cover when 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
- Quinces
- Their high natural pectin and acid help the juice set into a firm jelly.
- Crushed sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and, with pectin and acid, helps it gel when boiled.
The step that matters
Boiling until it jellies. Sugar and pectin only set when the concentration is high enough. Undercooking leaves a runny jelly, while overcooking can darken and toughen the flavour. Testing for a set is essential.
“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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