Why it works: Grape and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,490 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Grape Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the grapes
Pick over, wash, and remove stems from the grapes.
Weigh the grapes and press the pulp from the skins, reserving the skins.
Make the jam
Heat the pulp gradually and cook until it separates from the seeds.
Press through a strainer to remove the seeds.
Add the reserved skins and sugar, using ¾ pound of sugar for every pound of fruit.
Cook over moderate heat until thick, about 15 minutes.
Pour into jars and seal.
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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Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Grapes
- Provide the fruit, pectin and tartness that give the jam its flavor and body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps thicken the jam as it cooks down.
The step that matters
Cook until thick after adding the sugar. Sugar and fruit must simmer long enough for the mixture to reach the set point. Too little cooking leaves the jam runny, while overcooking can make it stiff and dull in flavor.
“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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