The time of the jams
We are well into summer as I write this, and this is the time when most of the fruit is giving or about to give in full.
And for many of us, it will also be the time for jams and jellies, one of the best ways to preserve fruit for the next winter.
And for many of us, it will also be the time for jams and jellies, one of the best ways to preserve fruit for the next winter.
24 K 4.5/5 (23 reviews)
Keywords for this post:JamJellySummerFruitSugarGelling agentSyrupLast modified on: July 12th 2021
The time of the jams
In principle, jam is very simple, you mix sugar and fruits in variable proportions, and you cook it until it thickens.
For jelly, it's the same except that instead of fruit you use fruit juice or pulp only.
It is necessary to start well the process and not to make a mistake, good jam = beautiful fruits at the beginning, it would be a mistake to use fruits a little neutral in taste, or a little spoiled, thinking that in the jam it will pass.
It's almost the opposite, you need very nice/good fruits to make a very good jam.
Later, when you prepare your fruits, systematically eliminate all the spoiled or weak parts, you must keep only the best of the fruits.
The more sugar you put in, the more easily it takes, but the less it tastes like fruit.
Commercial jams, for example, are generally very sweet, probably too much so, because sugar is much cheaper than fruit, and it's a question of money as usual.
A 50% fruit 50% sugar is already very good, but at home you can reduce it to 40% sugar (the ideal rate for me).
This sugar rate is also a question of taste, but also of time, jams now are much less sweet than in the past, and it's a good thing, an apricot jam for example, should have a very clear apricot taste, and not a sweet taste with an apricot background.
You can cook the sugar/fruit mixture directly, adding a little water to thin it out, but this is not a very good option as the water will have to be boiled off afterwards.
There is a much better solution, which I already told you about in a previous article, which is to put the chopped fruits and the sugar together for at least 4 hours, or one night, and the whole thing forms a syrup (the hygroscopic side of the sugar) which can be cooked directly.
To obtain a jam, it is a mixture which thickens, just enough...
To obtain this thickening, there are 2 ways :
- The old way, used by our grandmothers, which consists in cooking the mixture, (very) long to bring the sugar to 110°C, temperature where it thickens the whole mixture.
- The more modern way is to use a gelling agent: pectin, agar-agar, gelatine... which are active at 100°C or even lower.
The old method, long cooking, which may seem "natural", has the big defect of reducing the taste of fruits, especially with delicate fruits like strawberries for example.
The new method allows a short cooking, we bring to boil, we add the gelling agent (the famous"Vit'pris" in France which is apple pectin) and after 2 or 3 minutes of boiling the jam is ready.
As for me, I'm an unconditional fan of the use of the gelling agent, pectin, which is neutral in taste, and it's very efficient to make a good jam or jelly.
Once the jam is ready, you have to put it in a jar, it is not very complicated, but it is very important to make sure that the inside of the jar remains sterile.
And for that, there is a very effective trick: Pour the burning jam in the jar, close it and turn it upside down (take gloves), wait 1 minute, then put it back.
By doing this, the air in the jar will pass through the burning jam and become sterilized, so you will have jam jars that can easily be kept for several months, and out of the fridge.
Here are some tracks for your future jams, can you enjoy the beautiful fruits of the summer to come.
To sum up: For good jams, choose beautiful fruits, make a syrup, cook a little (with a gelling agent), and sterilize your jars by turning them over.
For jelly, it's the same except that instead of fruit you use fruit juice or pulp only.
Some important points
The quality of the fruits
It is necessary to start well the process and not to make a mistake, good jam = beautiful fruits at the beginning, it would be a mistake to use fruits a little neutral in taste, or a little spoiled, thinking that in the jam it will pass.
It's almost the opposite, you need very nice/good fruits to make a very good jam.
Later, when you prepare your fruits, systematically eliminate all the spoiled or weak parts, you must keep only the best of the fruits.
The sugar-fruit ratio
The more sugar you put in, the more easily it takes, but the less it tastes like fruit.
Commercial jams, for example, are generally very sweet, probably too much so, because sugar is much cheaper than fruit, and it's a question of money as usual.
A 50% fruit 50% sugar is already very good, but at home you can reduce it to 40% sugar (the ideal rate for me).
This sugar rate is also a question of taste, but also of time, jams now are much less sweet than in the past, and it's a good thing, an apricot jam for example, should have a very clear apricot taste, and not a sweet taste with an apricot background.
The syrup
You can cook the sugar/fruit mixture directly, adding a little water to thin it out, but this is not a very good option as the water will have to be boiled off afterwards.
There is a much better solution, which I already told you about in a previous article, which is to put the chopped fruits and the sugar together for at least 4 hours, or one night, and the whole thing forms a syrup (the hygroscopic side of the sugar) which can be cooked directly.
Thickening
To obtain a jam, it is a mixture which thickens, just enough...
To obtain this thickening, there are 2 ways :
- The old way, used by our grandmothers, which consists in cooking the mixture, (very) long to bring the sugar to 110°C, temperature where it thickens the whole mixture.
- The more modern way is to use a gelling agent: pectin, agar-agar, gelatine... which are active at 100°C or even lower.
The old method, long cooking, which may seem "natural", has the big defect of reducing the taste of fruits, especially with delicate fruits like strawberries for example.
The new method allows a short cooking, we bring to boil, we add the gelling agent (the famous"Vit'pris" in France which is apple pectin) and after 2 or 3 minutes of boiling the jam is ready.
As for me, I'm an unconditional fan of the use of the gelling agent, pectin, which is neutral in taste, and it's very efficient to make a good jam or jelly.
The sterilization
Once the jam is ready, you have to put it in a jar, it is not very complicated, but it is very important to make sure that the inside of the jar remains sterile.
And for that, there is a very effective trick: Pour the burning jam in the jar, close it and turn it upside down (take gloves), wait 1 minute, then put it back.
By doing this, the air in the jar will pass through the burning jam and become sterilized, so you will have jam jars that can easily be kept for several months, and out of the fridge.
Here are some tracks for your future jams, can you enjoy the beautiful fruits of the summer to come.
To sum up: For good jams, choose beautiful fruits, make a syrup, cook a little (with a gelling agent), and sterilize your jars by turning them over.
Lasts posts
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20248285
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20241,1045
No need to boil gelatin
Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...November 21th 20241,2795
Your oven in "proofer" mode
In the bakery, proofing is a crucial stage in the process of making light, plump breads and pastries. During proofing, the yeast ferments the sugars present in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide which forms bubbles. This process allows the dough to swell and aerate, guaranteeing a soft, light...September 27th 20244,3385
The right size of zucchini
When you buy zucchini at the market, you're often offered a wide variety of sizes, from very small to very large. But which ones to choose? Here are a few tips.September 9th 20244,5265
Other pages you may also like
A memo of utensil weights
You will no doubt have come across this problem while cooking: after starting a recipe, when you already have some ingredients in a pan and have maybe cooked them, you need to know the weight of the pan's contents so that you can take half out, or add the same weight of sugar, for example.May 9th 201124 K4.6
Butter doesn't make you fat, unless you eat too much of it.
Whenever I'm discussing cooking and recipes, there is one idea which comes up frequently, like this: "Oh no! But that's got butter in it" (I should add, for the sake of accuracy, that this is something I hear more frequently from women, who are almost all concerned with keeping their figure). ...March 26th 201239 K4.5
What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?
This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .February 7th 2017124 K 14.1
The golden-brown finish on puff pastry
Let's take a look at the tricky matter of producing puff pastry with an attractive, golden-brown finish. French pastry chefs call this "dorure" (literally, "gilding"). Behind this quirky term there lurks a real problem (and the solution): when using puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) for a pie, or...February 8th 201842 K 24.6
The beautiful story of the croissants
As you may have already noticed, cooking, baking and pastry-making are full of stories or legends, usually very romantic, about this or that product or recipe. This is often the case for named recipes, for example tarte tatin, peach melba, paris-brest and many others, but it also applies to very...October 10th 201814 K5
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.