Why it works: Raisin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Cranberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the raisins and cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced to 1 pint.
Add the cranberries and sugar to the mixture.
Boil until the mixture reaches a jam-like consistency.
Pour into jars and seal.
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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Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cranberries
- Provide the tart fruit base and much of the body as they break down while cooking.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it thicken into a spreadable set as it cooks.
- Raisins
- Add natural sweetness and body, and their pectin helps the jam thicken.
The step that matters
Boil until the mixture reaches a jam-like consistency. Jam sets as water evaporates and sugar and fruit pectin concentrate. Undercooking leaves it runny, while overcooking can make it stiff and sugary once cooled.
“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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