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 ↓
Quince Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Pare, quarter, and core the quinces, then place them in a pot with 1 pint of water.
Simmer gently until the quinces are slightly broken but the juice remains pale.
Strain the liquid through a jelly bag or fine cloth without pressing.
Weigh the juice and pour it into a clean preserving pan.
Make the jelly
Boil the juice quickly for 20 minutes.
Stir in the sugar until fully dissolved, then continue to boil for 10 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly and skimming off any scum.
Test for jelliness by checking if it falls strongly from a skimmer.
Pour the jelly into glasses or molds and let it set.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
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 pectin and tart flavor that let the juice set into a jelly.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set firm and hold its shape.
The step that matters
Straining without pressing. Pressing the pulp forces cloudy particles and fine solids through the cloth, which makes the finished jelly cloudy instead of clear.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 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.