Unit 10 – Self Directed Project: Brief 1 – Methods to Make Jam
Ten Steps to Jam-Making: Delia Smith
Link to helpful hints & tips for making jam.
BBC Food Blog: How to make Jam
MakeJam.com
General method of making jam.
How to make jam
Jam is one of the easiest ways of preserving and you can use almost any fruit or vegetable to do so. All you need is the fruit, A cooking pot and some Jam sugar. Jam sugar comes preloaded with the right amount of Pectin which is usually extracted from apple pips and is what makes the Jam set if you make it right. If you don’t have Jam sugar then you can use ordinary sugar and add pectin at the end.
Jam Making Ingredients
- Fruit or Vegetable of your choice such as Strawberries, Blackberries, plums, peaches, pineapple.
- Jam Sugar
Jam making equipment
- Preserving Pan
- Jars
- Lids
- Ladle
- Jam Thermometer
- Jam Funnell
Making Jam
Remove any stalks or leaves and pips, pith and skin where appropriate from your chosen fruit. Finely chop the prepared fruit and put it in the preserving pan.
Bring the mixture to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the fruit/vegetable has softened.
Add the Jam sugar to the mixture and stir the mixture well until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved bring the mixture back to the boil
Boil the Jam, stirring continuously so as not to burn until the jam reaches 104-105 degrees. Having reached this temperature you should get a Jam which will set.
Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully ladle the jam into the jars whilst the jam is still hot.
Put the lids on quickly as you fill each Jar. If you wait till they are all filled the glass of the jars will be very hot to touch and difficult to hold to screw the lids on. Store the Jam in a cool dark cupboard or larder. Once opened keep in the fridge.
Making Jam in the Mircowave!? (This can be one method)
Microwave Jams
Small amounts of jam can be made in the microwave.
A large microwave bowl, two or three times as large as the volume of jam, should be used and it is important to remember that when you add the sugar to the boiled fruit, the bulk will double.
- Cook the fruit on full power for around 4 minutes until it is soft.
- Stir in the sugar until it has dissolved and then cook again on high power for 3 minutes, before stirring thoroughly.
- Continue to do this until the jam has cooked for about 18 minutes, or until the jam sets when a little is placed on a chilled saucer.
- Stir in a small knob of butter or a few drops of glycerine to get rid of any scum.
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes and then pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.
NEVER USE A SUGAR THERMOMETER IN THE MICROWAVE OVEN.
Daily Mail Online Jam Recipe (Second Method)
The basics are simple: Boil a quantity of fruit with an equal quantity of sugar until it turns to jam. Pour it into jars, and you are done.
TIPS ON FRUIT
High-pectin fruit includes: Cooking apples, black or redcurrants, cranberries, gooseberries, damsons, lemons, limes, quinces.
Medium-pectin fruit includes: Eating apples, early blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, apricots, greengages, grapes, peaches, plums.
Low-pectin fruit includes: Strawberries, late blackberries, pears, cherries, rhubarb, nectarines, pears, pineapple, melons.
TIP: If the pectin content is medium, add 15ml/1tbsp lemon juice for every 450g/1lb fruit. If the pectin content is low, you will need to add pectin.
Mixed berry jam
Makes about 2.2kg/5lbs of jamIngredients
450g/1lb raspberries
450g/1lb strawberries
450g/1lb blackberries
juice of 1 lemon (about 2tbsp)
1.3kg/3lbs preserving sugar1. Put the fruit in your preserving pan with the lemon juice and heat gently until the juices start to run. Simmer gently for about ten minutes until the fruit softens.
2. Mash the fruit leaving some berries whole, and continue to simmer for another ten minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until it is completely dissolved.
4. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for about eight minutes, then test for a set (see above).
5. If necessary boil for longer and test again, otherwise remove any scum (see above).
6. Pour into sterilised jars, seal, cool and label.
BBC Good Food – Strawberry Jam Recipe (Final Method – as includes overnight standing)
- 1.8kg small whole strawberries
- juice of 3 lemons
- 1.84kg jam sugar (not to be confused with preserving sugar)
- knob of butter
Makes about 3kg/6½ lb
Preparation and cooking times
Cook 1 hr – 1 hr 20 minsPlus optional overnight standing
Method
- Wash, drain and hull the fruit and put in a large non-metallic bowl. Sprinkle over the lemon juice and sugar, gently mix. Cover with a tea towel and leave overnight. (This helps keep the strawberries whole.)
- Put a saucer in the freezer. Tip the fruit and juice into a preserving pan or a 4.5 litre/8 pint heavybased pan. Heat gently, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Do not boil until it has.
- Turn up the heat, then boil hard for exactly 4 minutes (use a timer). Take off the heat to test for setting point. Spoon a little jam onto the cold saucer. After a couple of minutes gently push your finger through the jam and if the surface wrinkles it is ready. If not, return to the boil for 2 minutes, then re-test.
- Take off the heat and swirl in the butter. If the scum doesn’t dissolve, skim with a slotted spoon. Cool for 10-15 minutes. (Pot when too hot and all the fruit rises to the top.)
- Stir gently to distribute the fruit, then pour into warm sterilised jars. Put waxed discs on straight away, cover with lids or cellophane circles, then seal, label and wipe the jars. Keeps for 6 months in a cool dry cupboard.
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