Why it works: Sugar and banana are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,102 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Gelatine Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Dissolve and boil
Dissolve the gelatine in warm water.
Add boiling water and sugar, stirring until dissolved.
Dissolve citric acid in a little cold water and add to the mixture.
Boil for 20 minutes.
Flavor with banana essence.
Set and serve
Pour over ripe fruit for a salad if desired.
Let stand in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.
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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Sugar + bananatop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,102 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
- Gelatine
- Forms the gel network that makes the jelly set firm when chilled.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps balance the sharpness of the citric acid.
- Citric acid
- Adds tartness that brightens the flavor and offsets the sugar.
The step that matters
Let stand in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving. Gelatine sets gradually as it cools, so the jelly needs a long, cold rest to become firm enough to hold its shape. Serving early may give a soft, loose result.
“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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