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 Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pulp
Boil quinces until soft, then strain through a colander.
Make the marmalade
For every pound of pulp, add one pound of sugar.
Boil until the desired consistency is reached.
Alternatively, chop preserved quinces, add sugar if needed, and cook until firm.
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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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
- Supply natural pectin and body, which help the marmalade thicken and set as it cooks.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, once concentrated by boiling, helps the marmalade set and keep.
The step that matters
Boil until the desired consistency is reached. As water evaporates, sugar and quince pectin concentrate and form a gel. Stopping too early leaves it runny, while overcooking makes it stiff, dark and sticky.
“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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