Making Marmalade: Tips & Techniques

[heidih]

29 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

course I mean climate change) seasonal produce is changing seasons.   

My tangerines, oranges, lemons, and kumquats are SO confused. I usually make variations of citrus marmalade but right now just little hard green balls Normally (what is normal?) they look like Christmas trees all decked out as Christmas approaches.  II may resort to a sort of dried frut chutney as I wait for citrus. I us bits of marmalade in my cooking for accents all the time. Ggrrr

[FrogPrincesse]

Has anyone been making marmalade lately?

 

Here is my annual batch of marmalade. I used a dozen Seville oranges (951 g, they were on the smaller size this year), mandarin juice (1/2 glass), 2.4 L of water, and 1.5 kg of sugar. I follow the recipe from David Lebovitz in Ready for Dessert with minor modifications - I scrape the skin to remove all the membranes that I place in the seed bag (I find that if I leave the membranes in, the marmalade isn't as clear). I used 2 tablespoons of aged rhum agricole as the booze component.

The marmalade gelled pretty quickly and the set is quite firm. It tastes very bright and a bit acidic but will mellow as it ages.

The yield was 8 jars (6 x 8 oz jars and 2 x 13 oz "Bonne Maman" jars).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 4 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[TicTac]

Looks good.  My grandfather taught me to make marmalade with Seville oranges many moons ago.  I made a batch a couple years back and I think we are down to our last jar...

 

Assuming the 1.5kg of 'water' is actually sugar?!

 

Otherwise, it seems more like Seville Soup 😛

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

2 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Looks good.  My grandfather taught me to make marmalade with Seville oranges many moons ago.  I made a batch a couple years back and I think we are down to our last jar...

 

Assuming the 1.5kg of 'water' is actually sugar?!

 

Otherwise, it seems more like Seville Soup 😛

 

 

Correct (and fixed)! 1.5 kg of sugar, as I am not a big fan of Seville soup...

 

You are lucky to have learned from your grandfather! There is no tradition of making marmalade in my (French) family, so I learned through trial and error and with the tips from other eGulleters. For me the biggest improvement was to use the right pot! When I used a tall/narrow pot in my first attempts, getting the marmalade to set would take forever (several hours). Now it's a much faster process, thankfully.

[gfweb]

I need to make my own and find a way to enhance the bitterness.

[TicTac]

20 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Correct (and fixed)! 1.5 kg of sugar, as I am not a big fan of Seville soup...

 

You are lucky to have learned from your grandfather! There is no tradition of making marmalade in my (French) family, so I learned through trial and error and with the tips from other eGulleters. For me the biggest improvement was to use the right pot! When I used a tall/narrow pot in my first attempts, getting the marmalade to set would take forever (several hours). Now it's a much faster process, thankfully.

VERY interesting.  So are you suggesting a wide/squat pot produces a better end result?  More evaporation?

 

My marmalade did not set - I probably did not use enough sugar (I hate the stuff TBH!) so it was a bit syrupy.  But it was good.  Also put a vanilla pod in one or two jars, worked our quite nicely!  Esp so over vanilla ice cream. 

[Katie Meadow]

22 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Correct (and fixed)! 1.5 kg of sugar, as I am not a big fan of Seville soup...

 

You are lucky to have learned from your grandfather! There is no tradition of making marmalade in my (French) family, so I learned through trial and error and with the tips from other eGulleters. For me the biggest improvement was to use the right pot! When I used a tall/narrow pot in my first attempts, getting the marmalade to set would take forever (several hours). Now it's a much faster process, thankfully.

Yes, a pot with wide surface area is of course one way to shorten the time when cooking down marmalade. But that and sugar alone won't get you the consistency you are looking for and the bitterness as well. I use the pips (seeds). Put most of the seeds after juicing, and with as little pith as possible, into a muslin bag and add that to the mix. I tie the bag to the handle of the pot so it hangs below the surface of the liquid. There are gelling products you can buy, but this seems to be the easiest and cheapest way to get the control you want.

[FrogPrincesse]

4 hours ago, TicTac said:

VERY interesting.  So are you suggesting a wide/squat pot produces a better end result?  More evaporation?

 

My marmalade did not set - I probably did not use enough sugar (I hate the stuff TBH!) so it was a bit syrupy.  But it was good.  Also put a vanilla pod in one or two jars, worked our quite nicely!  Esp so over vanilla ice cream. 

Using the right pot will get you there faster and without overcooking the fruit. With a tall and narrow pot filled pretty full, it was easily taking 2 hours to reach the gelling point. With a large and wide pot, about 30-45 minutes. 

 

The bag in the right in the picture has the seeds (and membranes) which provide additional pectin (in addition to the fruit itself) and help the marmalade set.

 

 

 

[Fernwood]

Would love to try this myself but we don't see so many citrus varieties in our suburban Connecticut markets and I don't know about a source for Seville oranges.  Are they unusually delicate in storage?  I'm thinking my daughter might be able to find some in NYC and bring them to me around end-January or early-February.  

[FrogPrincesse]

@Fernwood No they aren’t delicate. They easily keep for a few weeks in the fridge, so transporting them shouldn’t be a problem. 

[Fernwood]

On 2/11/2008 at 3:34 PM, Abra said:

I've been making what I think is the best Seville orange marmalade I've ever tasted. It's not like anything else I've had before, very caramelized and intense.

 

Also, I'm really sorry to see that this never made it into RecipeGullet.  Abra's blog (linked) raves about it but doesn't have the recipe posted, either.  Does anyone know a source for something similar?

[FrogPrincesse]

It looks like a typical marmalade, just cooked longer so it caramelizes.

[TicTac]

Ok so I finally found some organic seville oranges (organic is important to us as citrus is heavily sprayed and given we are eating the rind and all...)

 

Please remind me, I am assuming that I use the juice from the oranges in the cooking process?  I have 10 med-large'ish size oranges that I am going to make, I believe they were about 3.5-4lbs.

 

I do not have a special bag like that, but do have cheese cloth - will that suffice for a little bag to house the pith and seeds?

 

I read above @FrogPrincesse used both another citrus juice as well as rum - I am assuming those are just additional flavour agents and not required, per say?

 

Going to get the kids to help me with this batch so I can pass the tradition down to the next generation.

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, TicTac said:

Ok so I finally found some organic seville oranges (organic is important to us as citrus is heavily sprayed and given we are eating the rind and all...)

 

Please remind me, I am assuming that I use the juice from the oranges in the cooking process?  I have 10 med-large'ish size oranges that I am going to make, I believe they were about 3.5-4lbs.

 

I do not have a special bag like that, but do have cheese cloth - will that suffice for a little bag to house the pith and seeds?

 

I read above @FrogPrincesse used both another citrus juice as well as rum - I am assuming those are just additional flavour agents and not required, per say?

 

Going to get the kids to help me with this batch so I can pass the tradition down to the next generation.

 

 

Of course you use as much juice as you can squeeze from the oranges. Also, when making up a bag for pips try to remove as much pith as possible and just use the seeds. And make sure the bag closes tightly so no seeds escape into the liquid .Yes you can certainly use other citrus fruit in the mix, but depending upon which ones you use you may need to adjust the sugar.

[TicTac]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Of course you use as much juice as you can squeeze from the oranges. Also, when making up a bag for pips try to remove as much pith as possible and just use the seeds. And make sure the bag closes tightly so no seeds escape into the liquid .Yes you can certainly use other citrus fruit in the mix, but depending upon which ones you use you may need to adjust the sugar.

Any thoughts on how it would turn out if I used half white sugar and have dark brown sugar?

 

Edit - also curious if anyone let it sit with the pips overnight to release further pectin (ala Lebowitz) or just plowed straight through?

 

Lastly, when you folks add the sugar, typically how long do you continue the cook after adding it?

 

Edited January 10 by TicTac (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

@TicTac I am glad you were able to find Seville oranges! As Katie said, use the juice in the marmalade. They tend to not have a lot, but that depends on the variety and freshness. I also use the juice of a sweet orange (following David Lebovitz's recipe). It's there for flavor, and so is the liquor component (scotch is traditional, rum also works quite well), if you choose to include it. The beauty of making marmalade is that you can make it exactly to your liking! 

Cheesecloth is absolutely fine, actually that's what I used in my first batches. It can shed at the edges, so you just have to keep an eye on that (make a tight bundle and you will be fine). Also, if it is the fabric type, it is not reusable and you will need another piece for the next batch. Because I make marmalade regularly, I upgraded to a cheese / nut bag - I just wash it at the end and it is good to go for another round of marmalade or jam.

As to what goes into the bag, unlike Katie, I include seeds and pith as they are both great sources of pectin. Initially I was worried that including the pith would make the marmalade less clear, but that is not the case at all.

A mix of white and dark brown sugar works very well. I have done it in the past either intentionally (for another boost of flavor, caramel notes) or unintentionally because I realized at the last minute that I didn't have enough white sugar on hand. Again, another opportunity to create the flavor profile you like the best.

[TicTac]

Thank you @FrogPrincesse.

 

So I made the batch and no matter the temp I bring it to nor the amount of seeds in there (perhaps it was too tight and not able to mix in enough!?) - it still is not setting to my liking.

 

Should I cook it longer?

 

There were a ton (at least 1/2 cup) of pips in there, I did not include the membranes (there was still pith on the rinds). 

 

Hmmm.

 

I know Grandpa used pectin, but I have tried that too in the past and still the damn thing never set.

 

Mind you it tasted great, as it does now (Gramps would be proud!) - but still not the consistency I am going for...

 

oh well, guess I just need to ensure that the PB/butter below has some edges to hold it in...lol

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

How much fruit & sugar did you put in there? And did you do this in 2 steps (first, boil the peels in water with the seed bag, rest overnight, and boil with sugar on day 2)? Doing the 2 steps helps extract additional pectin which helps the jam set.

How are you testing it? (using a small metal spoon in the freezer works well)

How energetically is it boiling? I find that you need a fairly robust boil (avoiding scorching of course) so enough water evaporates. Constantly mixing helps.  Do you know the current temperature?

What type of pot are you using? Something wide will get you there much faster.

Feel free to post a picture or video if you can, seeing the bubbles is another indication for how close you are to the gelling point.

 

Edited January 11 by FrogPrincesse
spelling (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

And to answer your earlier question, mine takes about 45 minutes to set, but that is with the right pot etc. When I made my first batches, it often took 2-3 hours to get there. So just persevere, you will get there eventually.  

I never had a citrus marmalade not set properly, as they contains quite a bit of pectin. With other fruit, that is a different story of course.

[Katie Meadow]

59 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:

@TicTac I am glad you were able to find Seville oranges! As Katie said, use the juice in the marmalade. They tend to not have a lot, but that depends on the variety and freshness. I also use the juice of a sweet orange (following David Lebovitz's recipe). It's there for flavor, and so is the liquor component (scotch is traditional, rum also works quite well), if you choose to include it. The beauty of making marmalade is that you can make it exactly to your liking! 

Cheesecloth is absolutely fine, actually that's what I used in my first batches. It can shed at the edges, so you just have to keep an eye on that (make a tight bundle and you will be fine). Also, if it is the fabric type, it is not reusable and you will need another piece for the next batch. Because I make marmalade regularly, I upgraded to a cheese / nut bag - I just wash it at the end and it is good to go for another round of marmalade or jam.

As to what goes into the bag, unlike Katie, I include seeds and pith as they are both great sources of pectin. Initially I was worried that including the pith would make the marmalade less clear, but that is not the case at all.

A mix of white and dark brown sugar works very well. I have done it in the past either intentionally (for another boost of flavor, caramel notes) or unintentionally because I realized at the last minute that I didn't have enough white sugar on hand. Again, another opportunity to create the flavor profile you like the best.

It's nice to know that using pith in with the pips didn't result in cloudiness; that's the reason I always avoided the pith.

We've been making marmalade for so many years that a while back I invested in a pack of Celestial Gifts 5x7 muslin bags.  They do seem pricey, but they are reusable two or three times or more and save me a big headache. I bought them five years ago and have plenty left for the foreseeable future. I typically make 4 batches a season, and each batch yields 6-7 jars. 

[TicTac]

@FrogPrincesse - I did not do the overnight process....perhaps that was part of my problem

 

Also, I only let it cook for about 20-25 minutes on medium (brought it down to a low simmer after it boiled)

 

Essentially I had 10 med size oranges, I did 10 cups of water, 8 cups of sugar, the juice from the oranges as well as a few tangerines that were about to go bad.

 

Tied the pips, let them cook in the liquid mixture (sans sugar) until the rinds turned translucent and then let it cook with the pips in there, brought it back up to heat, boil - added sugar, back to boil - removed pips, reduced to simmer for about 20-25 minutes. 

 

I did the frozen plate method to test the set.

 

Perhaps I should put it back on to reduce a bit longer?

 

Oh I also read that acid helps to get the pectin working, did not have lemons so I squeezed a lime in there.

[FrogPrincesse]

Here (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) are the bags I use. They are $6 for 2 and they last for a very long time as they are made from a nylon mesh. They also work great for cheese, nut milks (orgeat...), if you are into this kind of thing.

[FrogPrincesse]

@TicTac I recommend increasing the temperature to a fairly energetic boil. A low simmer won't get you there and 25 minutes is nothing given the quantity of fruit that you are dealing with. 

[FrogPrincesse]

@TicTacAdditional comments - the amounts of water, oranges, sugar seem about right. I use the overnight procedure and leave the seed bag in until the end, but none of that is critical in my view as the oranges have a lot of pectin to begin with. Adding lemon or lime to the mix won't make a difference for reaching the gelling point as oranges are already acidic enough on their own.

I am confident you will get there if you boil it at a high enough temperature.

 

Edited January 11 by FrogPrincesse
spelling (log)

[TicTac]

Thank you so much @FrogPrincesse & @Katie Meadow for all of your valuable input! 

 

The pot is back on the burner and I will get a nice little boil going for at least the next 30 minutes. 

 

Gramps never had the internet to use, so I can imagine how many times he toiled with his batches of jam over the years (oh how I miss that guy...)

 

Many thanks again!