Why it works: Strawberry and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,060 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Another Very Fine Strawberry Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Extract the juice from the strawberries using a cloth and strain it until clear.
Weigh the juice, then stir in an equal amount of powdered sugar.
Dissolve and heat
Place the mixture in a preserving pan over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.
Boil and skim
Remove any scum that forms.
Boil the jelly for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the quantity.
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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Strawberry + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,060 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Strawberry juice
- Provides the flavour and the liquid that sets into the jelly.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set firm and keep.
The step that matters
Boil the jelly for the full time. Boiling evaporates water and concentrates the sugar and the fruit's natural setting agents. Stopping too early can leave the jelly runny when cooled, while the right boil lets it set firm.
“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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