Why it works: Sugar and currant are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Gooseberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove the stalks and stems from the gooseberries.
Wash the gooseberries well.
Make the jam
In a preserving pan, combine the gooseberries, sugar, and currant juice or water.
Stir frequently until boiling.
Allow to boil for 15 minutes, then skim off any foam.
Pour the jam into pots.
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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Sugar + curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Sugar and currant barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gooseberries
- Provide the fruit, pectin and tartness that give the jam its body and flavor.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it set into a thick, spreadable texture.
- Currant juice or water
- Adds liquid to start the cooking and helps the fruit break down evenly.
The step that matters
Skimming the foam after boiling. Foam forms as impurities and air rise to the surface during boiling. Skimming it off keeps the jam clear and appealing in color and texture.
“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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