Why it works: Rhubarb and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,852 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Rhubarb
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the rhubarb
Strip the skins from the rhubarb stalks and cut into small pieces.
Make the jam
In a pot, combine the sugar with a small amount of water and heat until dissolved.
Add the rhubarb to the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
Can the jam
Prepare glass cans by rolling them in hot water.
Fill each can to overflowing with the rhubarb mixture and seal tightly.
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.
-
Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 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
- Rhubarb
- Provides the bulk of the jam and its tart flavor.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it thicken into a spreadable set.
The step that matters
Boil the rhubarb for the full 10 minutes. Jam thickens when sugar and fruit are heated long enough for the fruit's natural pectin to work with the sugar. Boiling too briefly leaves the mixture runny, so it may not set properly in the jar.
“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.
More rhubarb jam recipes
You might also like
Rhubarb Pie152 recipes
Rhubarb Marmalade35 recipes
Rhubarb Jelly28 recipes
White Cake431 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.