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 ↓
Stewed Quinces
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut quinces into quarters.
In a pot, combine quinces, 3 pounds of sugar, and 1 pint of water.
Simmer and finish
Cover with white paper to retain steam and simmer gently for 3 hours.
Mash the mixture into a jam consistency.
Add ½ pound of sugar and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
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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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
- Provide the fruit body and natural pectin that helps the jam thicken and set.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness, balances quince's tartness, and helps the jam set and keep.
The step that matters
Simmer gently under the paper cover. Gentle heat over a long time softens the quince and releases its pectin without scorching. The paper traps steam so the fruit stays moist and does not dry out or stick to the pot, which would burn the sugar.
“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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