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. Weigh them and place them in a pot with water, using 1 pint of water for each pound of quinces.
Simmer the quinces gently until they are slightly broken, but do not let the juice redden.
Strain the liquid through a fine cloth without pressing it.
Weigh the juice and place it in a clean preserving pan. Boil it quickly for 20 minutes.
Make the jelly
Stir in 12 ounces of sugar for each pound of juice, or 14 ounces if the quinces are very acidic. Keep stirring and remove any scum for another 10 to 20 minutes until it jellies strongly.
Pour the jelly into glasses or molds. If made correctly, it will be firm enough to turn out and will be transparent and flavorful.
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 acidity that allow the juice to set into a firm jelly.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the juice set into a firm, glossy jelly when boiled.
- Water
- Extracts the juice from the quinces during gentle simmering.
The step that matters
Simmering the quinces without pressing the juice. Simmering gently only until the fruit is slightly broken keeps the juice clear and pale. Pressing the strainer or overcooking pushes solids and pigments into the liquid, which makes the jelly cloudy and reddish.
“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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