Why it works: Grape and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,490 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Grape Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Strip the grapes from their stalks and stir them in a pot over gentle heat until they burst and release their juice.
Strain the juice without pressure through a jelly bag or twice-folded muslin.
Weigh the juice and boil it rapidly for 20 minutes.
Make the jelly
Remove from heat and stir in 14 ounces of sugar for each pound of juice until dissolved.
Boil the jelly quickly for an additional 15 minutes, stirring constantly and skimming well.
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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Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 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
- Grapes
- Provide the juice, natural pectin and acidity that give the jelly its flavor and set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and, with the boiling, helps it thicken and set.
The step that matters
Boiling the jelly after adding sugar. Sugar must dissolve fully before the rapid boil, otherwise crystals can form. The boil then concentrates the mixture until it reaches the sugar and pectin concentration needed to set. Stirring and skimming keep the jelly clear and prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.
“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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