7 Tips to Make Sure Your Jam Sets Up (2024)

FAQs

7 Tips to Make Sure Your Jam Sets Up? ›

Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set. With low-pectin fruits like strawberries, help them along by either mixing with pectin-rich fruit like gooseberries or by using jam sugar (with added pectin and citric acid). Setting point is 104.5°C.

Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set. With low-pectin fruits like strawberries, help them along by either mixing with pectin-rich fruit like gooseberries or by using jam sugar (with added pectin and citric acid). Setting point is 104.5°C.

Since pectin is activated by sugar, it requires using a considerable amount of sugar to activate the pectin and set (i.e. thicken) your jam. If you try to cut back on the sugar, it won't set properly.

Pop a plate in the freezer at the beginning of your cooking time. Once you think that your jam has reached its setting point or has thickened, spoon a bit of the jam on the cold plate and tilt it vertically so the jam runs. You are aiming for a slow descent, not a runny mess. If it runs slow, it's set!

Lack of acidity: Acids like lemon juice help lower the jam mixture's pH, which reacts with the natural or added pectin to help thicken the jam. If a jam recipe doesn't call for lemon juice or lime juice, it could rely on another ingredient, like added pectin, to set the jam.

5. Do Not Stir Once Mixture Is Boiling. Once your jam/marmalade it has reached a rapid rolling boil do not stir it. Stirring it will alter the temperature of the jam/marmalade meaning it will take longer to reach the setting point.

Do not vary the sequence in which the ingredients are added. For example, powdered pectin does not dissolve in a sugared solution, so if you add the sugar and then the dry pectin, the jam will not be firm. Be sure you use a kettle large enough to accommodate the preserves when they are brought to a full rolling boil.

If, on the other hand, the jam is rock solid, that means you've gone too far and cooked it too long. You can try adding a little water to thin it out, but bear in mind that after overcooking a jam, you can't really get those fresh fruit flavors back.

As soon as the preserves are spooned or poured into the sterilised jars or bottles, they must be correctly sealed to prevent deterioration. Fill the hot dry jars right to the top – preserves shrink slightly on cooling and a full jar means less trapped condensation. Seal the jars while still hot.

- Overcooking is a problem that, it destroys the gelling capacity of the pectin. That can occur when the fruit is being heated to extract the juice, or while cooking the jelly itself. Likewise, undercooking produces problems because the jelly is not sufficiently concentrated.

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.

It's Not Only About Pectin

There's another reason why lemon juice is added to most jam recipes: for safe canning and to prevent the growth of bacteria. Bringing the pH level down means jars can be sealed in a regular boiling water bath in a reasonable amount of time (sometimes as little as 10 minutes).

For every 4 cups of jam that needs to be remade, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon powdered pectin. Pour the jam into a low, wide pan and add the sugar and pectin combo. Stir until the sugar and pectin has dissolved.

In the world of jam, pectin and citric acid are the primary additives. They are quite harmless but the question is what are they doing in my jam? Neither are used to flavor the jam, but are used like other substances in food to preserve or cause the food the have a certain texture.

If it's too loose, you can always cook it more or simply refrigerate it, which will firm it too. If it's too firm-set, you can loosen it with a spoonful of hot water until it's the consistency you like.

Every recipe is different and some preserves will start to set after only 3-5 minutes where as other preserves may take 15 minutes or even longer so it is very important that you start testing for the setting point early so that you avoid over cooking your preserve.