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
Extract the juice
Combine the quinces and water in a pot and bring to a slow boil.
Cover the pot and let it simmer until the quinces are completely mashed, allowing about a third of the water to evaporate.
Strain the mixture through a jelly bag to extract the liquid.
Make the jelly
In a preserving pan, combine the strained liquid with sugar at a ratio of 1 pound of sugar for every pint of liquid.
Boil the mixture until it thickens to a consistency that allows it to hold its shape when cooled.
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
- Their natural pectin and acid help the liquid set into a firm jelly.
- Fine white sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set by binding water and concentrating the mixture.
The step that matters
Boiling until the jelly sets. Boiling concentrates the sugar and pectin until the mixture reaches the set point. Too little boiling leaves it runny, while overcooking can make it stiff or cloudy.
“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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