Why it works: Currant and sugar 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 ↓
Currant Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pick currants from stems and wash thoroughly.
Make the jam
Put currants into a preserving kettle and boil for 15–20 minutes, stirring often and skimming off any scum.
Add ¾ pound of sugar for every pound of fruit or 1 coffee cup of sugar for every pint of mashed fruit.
Boil for an additional 30 minutes, stirring almost constantly.
Jar and seal
Pour into small jars or glasses and seal.
Cover with paper pressed down on the fruit and larger papers brushed with egg white.
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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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar 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
- Currants
- Provide the fruit, pectin and tartness that give the jam its flavor and body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, with boiling, thickens it and helps it keep.
The step that matters
Boiling the sugar in with the fruit for the final 30 minutes. Sugar and fruit must reach a rolling boil long enough for pectin and sugar to concentrate and set. Stopping too early leaves a runny jam, while overcooking can scorch the sugar and darken the flavor. Stirring almost constantly prevents sticking and scorching on the bottom of the kettle.
“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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