Jams, Jellies, Preserves, Fruit Spreads, Butters

[Broken English]

Sometimes pectin can take a while to set up. I have had jam that was at just right when canned become very firmly set a few days later. <br /><br />I no longer add commercial pectins; I bought Ferber's book and use her methods. Great results every time.

So it's not necessarily a temperature thing? That seems odd to me, I should look into that.

Whenever I've made jam in the past its been pectin free, but the recipe the groom wanted to use contained pectin. I know it was hydrated properly, there were no lumps and the jam was boiled solidly for about ten minutes with the pectin in. Upon passing it through a chinois it had clearly dissolved.

One for the research file.

[mkayahara]

I don't know enough about pectin to answer your question, James, but you've got me intrigued. What kind of pectin did you use?

[Broken English]

It was regular apple pectin. Can't recall the brand, but it's a common one from a dry goods supplier.

[mkayahara]

Oddly, I was just talking to someone this weekend who has tried, unsuccessfully, to make pâte de fruit with blueberries. He said it didn't set up right away, but a few days later it was perfect. Clearly this bears further investigation.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Don't know if this is the right topic or not, but I hope I'll get some form of logical answer anyway ...

I was helping a good friend with the food prep for his wedding a while back. A day before the wedding, I made a blueberry jam using 3% pectin and canned it to give out as gifts at the wedding. On the day we went to check it, and found it had not set, so we explained on the night that it was a blueberry sauce.

Fsst forward one week later and people are calling my friend saying the jam is amazing, and has the perfect set for spreading, and begging for the recipe.

SO my question is, why did the jam set after a week in jars? Why did it not set in the days prior? I haven't used pectin before, but surely this isn't normal.

It might also be a blueberry thing. My hands-down favourite jam is made with Mortiños, which are Ecuadorian-native highland blueberries. They make a lovely sauce in the pot, regardless of how much pectin I add (I use Citric Pectin, since it's what's available, and boost it with shredded apples in the jam base itself). However, by two or three weeks from jarring, it's a perfect thick consistency, just exactly as you're describing with your preserves. So maybe the answer isn't more pectin or any other change, but just a bit more anticipation time?

[orangeong2]

I love my bread with strawberry jam + NUTELA!

[furzzy]

Smucker's Strawberry Preserves. Nashville House (Indiana) Baked Apple Butter.

Either one on my hot homemade buttermilk biscuits, slathered first with butter. YUM!

Edited June 3, 2013 by furzzy (log)

[SylviaLovegren]

Smucker's Strawberry Preserves. Nashville House (Indiana) Baked Apple Butter.

Either one on my hot homemade buttermilk biscuits, slathered first with butter. YUM!

I think I'll come sit over by you...

[Broken English]

Don't know if this is the right topic or not, but I hope I'll get some form of logical answer anyway ...

I was helping a good friend with the food prep for his wedding a while back. A day before the wedding, I made a blueberry jam using 3% pectin and canned it to give out as gifts at the wedding. On the day we went to check it, and found it had not set, so we explained on the night that it was a blueberry sauce.

Fsst forward one week later and people are calling my friend saying the jam is amazing, and has the perfect set for spreading, and begging for the recipe.

SO my question is, why did the jam set after a week in jars? Why did it not set in the days prior? I haven't used pectin before, but surely this isn't normal.

It might also be a blueberry thing. My hands-down favourite jam is made with Mortiños, which are Ecuadorian-native highland blueberries. They make a lovely sauce in the pot, regardless of how much pectin I add (I use Citric Pectin, since it's what's available, and boost it with shredded apples in the jam base itself). However, by two or three weeks from jarring, it's a perfect thick consistency, just exactly as you're describing with your preserves. So maybe the answer isn't more pectin or any other change, but just a bit more anticipation time?

Blieberries are high in pectin content themselves, which fuels my confusion. I think this one may remain a mystery. Next time I'll just allow a bit more time before testing the set.