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 Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Halve the apricots and remove the stones.
Weigh the fruit and sugar.
Combine the fruit and sugar in a large basin.
Let the mixture sit for 24 hours.
Crack the stones to extract the kernels and set aside.
Cook
In a preserving pan, combine the fruit, water, and kernels.
Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring continuously.
Boil for 45 minutes, removing any scum that forms.
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 flavour, plus natural pectin and acid that help the jam set.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness, preserves the fruit, and helps the jam thicken and set as it cooks.
The step that matters
Boil for 45 minutes, removing any scum that forms. Boiling evaporates water and concentrates the sugar and fruit pectin so the jam can set. Skimming scum keeps the jam clear and free of off-flavours.
“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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