Countdown to ecstasy…
The goal: Jam that drops from a spoon but stays on a biscuit (at least until I eat it, which is usually less than T minus ten seconds).
As a jam maker from way back, I never really embraced commercial pectin. This had more to do with my end results than any preconceived notion of its application. Sometimes I’d end up with jam that resembled a giant jello shooter or a gum drop in a votive. I would call it slicing jam or fruit gel in a jar. When I spied my homemade gifts of jam from 1998, and 1999, lining the shelf of a friend’s post-millennium pantry, I had to admit that the only thing denser than my jam was my denial of its shortcomings.
Tip One: With a decade of jam making under my ample belt, I’ve found the secret to thickening up runny low-pectin fruit jams: add an apple or two. Pectin is a naturally occurring thickener found in most fruits, though levels vary greatly. For example, apples are high pectin fruits, cherries low. When I make jam out of a low pectin fruit like sour cherries, I add a peeled, grated apple to the preserving pot to boost the thickness factor. Because the subtle flavor of the apple usually takes a back seat to the sour cherry, it’s a fruit marriage made in heaven where the strongest flavor wins. (No 50-50 here.)
Tip Two: Another way to help thicken your jam is to put the undercooked fruit jam in a fine mesh sieve and drain the liquid. Return the liquid to the preserving pot, simmer until syrup thick then add the cooked fruit mixture back, stir and bottle up.
Here’s a list of low and high pectin fruits:
High Pectin Fruits
- Apples (tart, under-ripe have more pectin)
- Blackberries (also more pectin if slightly under-ripe)
- Crabapples
- Cranberries
- Currants
- Gooseberries
- Grapes (Eastern Concord)
- Lemons
- Loganberries
- Plums
- Quinces
Low Pectin Fruits
- Apples (overripe)
- Chokecherries
- Elderberries
- Grapefruit
- Oranges
- Sweet and Sour Cherries
- Apricots
- Blueberries
- Figs
- Peaches
- Pears
- Plums (Italian)
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
Happy jam making, and remember this: if it takes a few tries (from someone who’s been there), a runny jam is merely a reason to make an ice cream sundae.Now you see it…
…now you don’t.
Related
As an enthusiast and expert in jam making, I bring a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience to the table. I've spent years honing my craft, experimenting with various fruits, techniques, and natural thickening agents to achieve that perfect, luscious consistency in jams. My expertise extends not only to the art of preserving fruits but also to understanding the nuances of pectin levels in different fruits and how they affect jam texture.
The passage you provided delves into the challenges of achieving the ideal consistency in homemade jams, especially when dealing with fruits low in pectin. The author shares valuable insights and tips acquired from years of personal experience. Let's break down the concepts and information discussed in the article:
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Commercial Pectin vs. Natural Pectin: The author expresses a preference for natural over commercial pectin due to the desired outcomes in jam consistency. This preference is based on personal experience and results obtained from using each type of pectin.
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Challenges with Low-Pectin Fruits: The article highlights the difficulty of thickening jams made from fruits low in pectin, resulting in runny consistency. This issue is particularly prevalent with fruits like sour cherries, which have low pectin levels.
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Tips for Thickening Runny Jams: The author provides two useful tips for thickening jams made from low-pectin fruits:
- Adding high-pectin fruits like apples to the preserving pot can significantly boost the natural pectin content and improve the jam's thickness without overpowering the primary fruit's flavor.
- Draining the excess liquid by placing the undercooked fruit jam in a fine mesh sieve, thickening the drained liquid into a syrup, then recombining it with the cooked fruit mixture to achieve the desired consistency.
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High Pectin Fruits vs. Low Pectin Fruits: The article includes a helpful list categorizing fruits based on their pectin levels:
- High Pectin Fruits: Examples include apples (tart or under-ripe), blackberries (slightly under-ripe), cranberries, currants, gooseberries, etc.
- Low Pectin Fruits: Examples encompass overripe apples, chokecherries, grapefruit, oranges, sweet and sour cherries, apricots, blueberries, etc.
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Understanding Fruit Pectin Levels: The article emphasizes how pectin levels vary among fruits and suggests combining low-pectin fruits with high-pectin ones to enhance natural thickening.
In summary, this article showcases an expert's firsthand knowledge of the challenges and solutions related to achieving the desired consistency in homemade jams. It covers the nuances of natural pectin, tips for thickening runny jams, and provides a comprehensive list of fruits categorized by their pectin content, offering valuable guidance for successful jam making endeavors.
FAQs
Tip Two: Another way to help thicken your jam is to put the undercooked fruit jam in a fine mesh sieve and drain the liquid. Return the liquid to the preserving pot, simmer until syrup thick then add the cooked fruit mixture back, stir and bottle up.
What can you add to jam to make it thicker? ›
While you can simply reduce the jam to your liking, you can also add commercial pectin or chia seeds to the reducing jam to guarantee thickening.
What is the thickening agent for fruit jam? ›
Pectin is often used as a thickener in cooking and baking. It is a natural polysaccharide (starch) product extracted from fruits and is commonly used as a natural thickening and setting/gelling agent that shouldn't affect the taste or smell of your recipes.
How do you fix homemade jam that is too thick? ›
How to Fix Overcooked Jam Ideas. If it isn't scorched though, here are some ideas to try: Slowly heat it in the microwave a few seconds at a time and then use it as usual. If it is still too thick, add some water while heating it in the microwave and then use it as a delicious and unusual pancake or ice cream syrup.
How to thicken jelly that won't set? ›
Measure 15 mL (1 tbsp) water and 7 mL (1/1/2 tsp) powdered pectin for each 250 mL (1 cup) of jelly or jam. Place in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until powdered pectin is dissolved. Add to the sugar and fruit mixture and stir until blended (about 2 to 3 minutes) pour into clean, sterilized containers.
Does lemon juice make jam thicker? ›
Preparing jam is about capturing the sweet essence of the fruit while simultaneously cooking it down to the perfect syrupy consistency. Lemon is crucial to balancing those sweet flavors, but it also helps the pectin to firm up the jam.
How much lemon juice to thicken jam? ›
I generally add one ounce of lemon juice for every two pounds of fruit when jamming higher-acid fruit (like tart plums, cherries, or raspberries), and about two ounces for lower-acid fruit (like sweet strawberries).
What happens if you add cornstarch to jam? ›
Some of my favourite jam flavours are mixed berries, peach and cherry. This jam recipe is made without pectin. Cornflour (or cornstarch) combined with lemon juice is a great alternative to pectin. It thickens up jam really well, combined with the sugar and heat.
What can you use instead of pectin to thicken jam? ›
Pectin Substitute
- Citrus Peels - Naturally high in pectin, you can substitute citrus peels for pectin.
- Cornstarch - Another plant-based thickening agent, cornstarch is a great substitute for pectin.
- Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will yield a different consistency.
If you really want to thicken it to a more spreadable consistency, the easiest way is to heat it up with some thickeners such as cornstarch. Arrowroot flour is more delicate and taste-neutral, but most cooks won't have it. Unflavored gelatin may also be used. Bring the syrupy “jam” to boil in a pot.
You will need approximately half the amount of pectin that is indicated by your recipe. Please be careful when adding pectin as too much will leave you with a set that is too solid and it is not possible to rectify this so always add less than you think is necessary and test the set and then add more if required.
What happens if you boil jam too long? ›
My preserves were also overcooked and extremely thick and rubbery but the flavor was perfect. So I emptied every jar back into my boiler and added about 1/2 to 1 cup of water and heated the mixture over low to medium heat. That loosened up the original preserves nicely and thinned down the consistency.
Will homemade jam thicken as it cools? ›
You do not need to reach a specific temperature beyond a “full boil” (a boil you can't stir down). Jam/jelly will be runny when you put it in the jars, and will jell when completely cool.
Can I reboil jam that hasn't set? ›
If the jam is still liquid then we don't particularly recommend reboiling. It can be tried but there is a risk that the jam becomes over boiled, which also means that it will not set. The jam can also burn much more easily when reboiled. The thin jam can be repurposed as a sweet chilli sauce.
Why is my homemade jam runny? ›
Sadly, sugar plays a huge role in set. If you cut the amount in the recipe and you don't compensate with a pectin designed for low sugar preserving, your jam may well be runny. Did you check for set while the jam was cooking? Any time a recipe gives you a cooking time, it's simply an approximation.
Why won't my jam get to 220? ›
there isn't enough pectin—use a combination of ripe and slightly under-ripe fruit. you didn't heat the jam for long enough which likely means you have too much water in it—it's too dilute. you didn't heat the jam enough to hit the jam setting point (around 104 °C or 220 °F).
How do you make jam more liquid? ›
We would suggest you experiment by using ¼ to ½ teaspoon less pectin than the recipe calls for, or perhaps up to a teaspoon less for recipes that call for 4 teaspoons of pectin. You would keep the calcium water amount the same.
How to thicken without pectin? ›
If you aren't using pectin as a thickener, the sugar as well as the cornstarch slurry will work to thicken quite well. Feel free to add more for an even thicker jam.
How to use runny jam? ›
Runny
- Spoon into plain yogurt,
- Flavor and sweeten a smoothie or milkshake,
- Drizzle over pancakes or waffles,
- Use as a sauce for decadent ice cream sundaes,
- Create wonderful co*cktails (see here for some guidance) or non-alcoholic spritzers, or.
Countdown to ecstasy…
Tip One: With a decade of jam making under my ample belt, I’ve found the secret to thickening up runny low-pectin fruit jams: add an apple or two. Pectin is a naturally occurring thickener found in most fruits, though levels vary greatly. For example, apples are high pectin fruits, cherries low. 
When I make jam out of a low pectin fruit like sour cherries, I add a peeled, grated apple to the preserving pot to boost the thickness factor. Because the subtle flavor of the apple usually takes a back seat to the sour cherry, it’s a fruit marriage made in heaven where the strongest flavor wins. (No 50-50 here.) 
Now you see it…
…now you don’t.