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Pineapple Filling

A gelatin-based filling made from canned pineapple, gelatin, and sugar.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Why it works: Gelatin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,778 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Pineapple Filling

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine the pineapple, gelatin, and sugar in a saucepan.

  2. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,778 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Pineapple + gelatintop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together282 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

  3. Pineapple + sugartop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together4,841 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Gelatin
Sets the filling into a firm, sliceable structure as it cools.
Pineapple
Adds moisture and fruit flavour, and its acidity brightens the sweetness.
Sugar
Sweetens the filling and adds body to the thickened mixture.

The step that matters

Heating until the mixture thickens. Stirring constantly over medium heat keeps the gelatin and sugar evenly dissolved and prevents scorching on the bottom of the saucepan. Stop heating once the mixture thickens so it sets properly as it cools.

Swap the pineapple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (gelatin, sugar):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Raisinfits better
  3. Figfits about as well
  4. Pineapplethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against gelatin, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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