Why it works: Currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Raspberry-Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Make the jam
Combine half the sugar with a little water in a pot.
Skim the mixture and add the raspberries and red currant juice.
Boil for 15 minutes.
Add the remaining sugar and boil for another 5 minutes.
Cool and jar
Let it cool and then transfer the jam to jars.
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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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raspberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour, colour and body of the jam.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it set as it cooks and thickens.
- Red-currant juice
- Adds natural pectin and acidity to help the jam set and balance sweetness.
The step that matters
Adding the remaining sugar. Sugar added in two portions helps keep the fruit's flavour bright and limits overcooking. Boiling briefly after the second addition lets the jam thicken without turning dull or sticky.
“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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