Secrets of Jams and Jellies

MAKING JELLIED PRODUCTS

There basically two types of jellied products: Those made
with added pectin and those made without it. The use of
commercial pectin simplifies the jelly making procedure and
yields more product per volume of juice. Products can be
made more quickly using added pectin, and their doneness
is easier to determine. However, products made without
added pectin contain less sugar and have a fruitier taste.

COOKED PRODUCTS WITHOUT ADDED PECTIN
Products made without added pectin require less sugar
(1/4 cup per cup of juice) than do those with added pectin,
but longer boiling is necessary to bring the mixture to the proper
sugar concentration. Thus, the yield per cup of juice is less.

COOKED PRODUCTS WTH ADDED PECTIN
Products made from powdered or liquid pectin are prepared
differently than those made without added pectin..Be sure to
follow the manufacturer's directions carefully, Pectin, acid and
doneness tests are not needed

TESTING THE JUICE OR FRUIT FOR PECTIN AND ACID
There are several methods for determining if there is enough natural
pectin in a fruit juice to make a good product with adding
commercial pectin. The simplest and quickest is the alcohol test.

Alcohol Test: Add 1 tablespoon juice to 1 tablespoon 70%
rubbing alcohol. Mix, stir or shake in a closed container slightly
so that all the juice comes in contact with the alcohol. Do not
taste as the mixture is poisonous. Fruit high in pectin will form
a solid jelly-like mass that can be picked up with a fork. If the
juice shows little clumping , there is not enough pectin for jelly.

Acid Test: Test for acid (longer-boil methods only). To produce
a good jelly, the fruit juice must contain enough acid. Compare
the tartness of the fruit juice with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of
lemon juice. 3 tablespoons of water and ½ teaspoon sugar. If
the fruit juice is not as tart as the mixture, add 1 tablespoon of
lemon juice to each cup of fruit juice.

INGREDIENTS

Proper amounts of fruit, pectin, acid and sugar are needed
to make a successful jellied product.

Fruit: Fruit gives each product its special flavor and provides
at least part of the pectin needed for successful gels.
Flavorful varieties of fruits are best for jellied products because
the fruit is diluted by the large proportion of sugar necessary
for proper consistency and a good keeping quality. Some fruits
such as ripe apples, most plums and grapes contain pectin
but lack the acidity necessary for jelly making. Other fruits
contain enough acid but have insufficient Pectin. Sometimes
fruit rich in pectin is combined with a fruit rich in acid in order
to get the proper proportions for jelly. Accurate measurements
are extremely important in jam and jelly making. Some fruits,
after being frozen, tend to collapse when thawed, making it
difficult to measure the fruit accurately. For this reason, it is
wise to pack measured quantities and then mark the measure
on the container. If the fruit is not pre-measured, measure it
and any juice in the container after thawing.

ACID: Acid is needed for flavor and for gel formation. The acid
content varies in different fruits and is higher in under ripe fruits.
With fruits that are low in acid, lemon juice or citric acid is
commonly added in making jellied products when necessary.
Crystalline citric acid can be substituted for lemon juice in a
ratio of 1/8 teaspoon of citric acid for the lemon juice.

SUGAR: Sugar helps in the gel formation, it serves as a
preserving agent, and contributes to the flavor of the
jellied product. It also has a firming effect on fruit, a
property that is useful in the making of preserves. Beet and
cane sugar can be used with equal success. Although they
come from different sources, they are the same sugar,
sucrose. Do not reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe
unless you are using a modified commercial pectin or a
commercial vegetable gum. Sweeteners such as brown
sugar, sorghum and molasses are not recommended,
since their flavors overpower the fruit flavor and their
sweetness varies. Neither a light mild honey nor light corn
syrup can fully substitute for sugar.

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Updated: 04/13/2000