Canning 101: How To Save Runny Jam (2024)

FAQs

Canning 101: How To Save Runny Jam? ›

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. At this point, prepare your canning pot.

To remake cooked jelly or jam using liquid pectin for each 250 mL (1 cup) jelly or jam, measure and combine 45 mL (3 tbsp) sugar, 7 mL (11 /2 tsp) bottled lemon juice and 7 mL ( 11/2 tsp) liquid pectin. Bring jam or jelly to a boil stirring constantly. Add the sugar, lemon juice and pectin combination.

Lift the spoon of jam above the pan about 12 inches and tilt the spoon horizontally. Watch how the jam runs back into the pan. You are aiming for a cascading sheet-like fall, not a single line of runny jam.

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. Also, this recipe is gluten free!

If you've made jam and waited for it to cool, but it is still runny, pour the jam back into a saucepan and bring it back to a boil. Boil until the jam starts to reduce and therefore thickens.

You can boil it down on the stove to thicken it up a bit... maybe add in some gelatin too. Also, to make it easier on you, you can spread the jam filling thin on a baking sheet and freeze it and then put it on the cake while it's frozen so it'll go on as one sheet.

If it still hasn't set, it's time to determine how much jam needs to be recooked. You don't want to remake more than 8 cups (4 pints) at a time. For every 4 cups of jam that needs to be remade, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon powdered pectin.

Yes, jam will be quite runny when it's hot, and then will thicken and set as it cools. Sometimes it can take 24-48 hours for the pectin to fully set.

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. This rule applies to all jams, jellies, pickles and chutneys.

Can you add water to thick jam? ›

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.

To test, remove the confection from the heat and carefully transfer a half-spoonful to one of your frozen spoons. Place the spoon back in the freezer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove it and tilt the spoon vertically to see how quickly the jam, jelly or marmalade runs.

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.

Clear Jel is a modified cornstarch that is recommended for canning because it doesn't lose its thickening powers after extended heating (conventional cornstarch starts to break down at high heat and also doesn't thicken high acid liquids well).

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.

Once the jam is done cooking, it may look a little thin, but just remember that it will thicken in the fridge as it cools. For a thicker version (good for fruits that are low in pectin, like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and peaches), add a tablespoon of pectin powder.

Overfilling jars not only encourages liquid loss but increases the risk of seal failure. During heat processing contents of the jar expand. Too little space between the lid and food/liquid forces liquid out of the jar when it is heated. Use correct headspace when filling jars.