Jam making

[blathanna]

If you happen to be making jam which does not have much pectin in, instead of using water use cider. There is pectin in it and will help to set the jam easier.

[Silver Ether]

I would rather use sugar with added pectin and drink the cider ...

[Annpan]

I have never used water in jam making Do you mean Jelly making? or do I make my jam in an obscure way?

[Thomzo]

I sometimes put a very small amount of water in the bottom of the pan to stop the fruit catching before it's started to pulp. Otherwise, no, I don't use water either.

Zoe

[Stonehead]

I've only ever used water when making rhubarb jam - and that's only a couple of tablespoons to stop it burning at the off. Otherwise, it's loads of fruit, loads of sugar, a bit of lemon juice for the low acid ones and maybe a few spices now and again.

[baldowrie]

never seen a recipe that uses water either

[the.fee.fairy]

I've always used water.
I cover the fruit with water before boiling, then add an equal weight of sugar to fruit, then get to a rolling boil for 10 mins, then test for setting etc.

[Peggy Sue]

I've only tried jam once, a few weeks ago and was warned to stick firmly to the recipe as it's different for every fruit. It had water in the recipe.

Fee you make it sound like it's the same for any fruit- need I stop searching for individual recipes?

[Thomzo]

Oh dear. I don't think I've ever used a proper recipe. Shove the fruit in the pan, add sugar, lemon juice if I remember, and simmer until set.

Zoe

[Welsh Girls Allotment]

I tried to make a pear and ginger jam today, the damn stuff would not set for love nor money, had the rolling boil going for half an hour or more and in the end thought bugger this and potted it off, checked it tonight and it seems to be setting also made a banana chutney a bit odd but it used up the bananas

[ina]

Leave fruit and sugar over night, and you'll have plenty of liquid in the pan, so no need for water or other diluting liquids! Goes for rhubarb, too. And if you don't get round to making the jam the next day, I've just made jam that had been sitting in the uncooked state for 8 days, and it's perfectly OK. (Alright, my kitchen isn't very hot - maybe you couldn't leave it quite that long if you had a heated place.)

Also: I remember in wine making that you used something to counteract the pectin (did that for black currants once) - isn't that used for cider, too? Wouldn't cider otherwise turn out gloopy? Does anybody know? I've never made cider...

[the.fee.fairy]

I usually only make plum jam, so that's my plum jam recipe i suppose.

In winemaking you use pectolase - it takes off the haziness that pectin gives.

[Meredith]

I only add water for blackcurrant jam. If I don't it turns out rock hard, too much pectin. I will bear in mind cider for when I'm making strawberry jam though.

[maggienetball]

I've never added water to jam, so it's a real suprise to me that people do.

I use the dry sugar method for rhubarb jam and wine (add sugar to fruit and leave for 24 hours. drain off liquid to use and discard fruit.) It's really yummy and reduces the amount of toxins in the jam/wine. Nice with ginger too.

Has anyone made spiced plum chutney for Chrimbo yet?

[Welsh Girls Allotment]

my recipe quoted 3/4 pint of water - in fact all the recipes in the book say the same ??