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 fruit
Pare, quarter, core, and weigh the quinces quickly, placing them in water as you go.
Use 1 pint of water for each pound of quinces and simmer gently until the fruit is slightly broken.
Strain the liquid through a jelly bag or fine cloth without pressing.
Make the jelly
Weigh the juice and place it in a clean preserving pan, boiling it quickly for 20 minutes.
Stir in the sugar until fully dissolved, adjusting the amount based on the acidity of the fruit.
Continue to boil, stirring constantly and skimming off any scum, for 10 to 20 minutes until it jellies strongly.
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.
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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 pectin and acid that let the juice set into a firm jelly.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set firmly while preserving it.
The step that matters
Straining without pressing. Pressing the fruit pushes fine solids and pulp through the cloth, which makes the jelly cloudy. Letting the juice drip through slowly keeps it 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.
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