Cooking Jam – The Best Tips and Tricks

Cooking jam – ingredients and working materials

You don’t need a lot of utensils to make your favorite jam. You can conjure up a tasty spread with just a few standard utensils and some fruit.

• First, of course, you need the fruit. You can basically use almost any type of fruit for your jam and thus create a wide variety of spreads. The fruit should be ripe, but not overripe.
• If you don’t have the right ideas to start with, you can find lots of recipes on the Internet and numerous recipe books for jams provide creative ideas.
• Another important ingredient is jam sugar. In addition to preserving sugar in the 1:1 ratio, you will also find sugar in the 2:1 ratio and in the 3:1 ratio. The first number indicates the fruit content and the second number the sugar content. For example, a ratio of 1:1 means one kilo of fruit and one kilo of sugar. It is best to use this ratio, as this will give your creation the longest shelf life. If you prefer a lower sugar content, add lemon or sorbic acid as a preservative.
• A very good alternative to gelling agents is agar or locust bean gum, which you mix with sugar according to the instructions.
• Otherwise, you still need a large saucepan and a large wooden cooking spoon.
• Of course, a scale should not be missing, so that you can calculate the exact ratio between fruit and jam sugar.
• You can later fill your finished jam into jam jars. Especially if you make different types of jams, you should label the jars accordingly.
• Tip: If you collect jam jars from friends and acquaintances in advance, you can save the money for the jars later.

Preparing jam yourself – tips and tricks

Preparing the jam is easy and doesn’t take much time. Even as a beginner, you don’t need to shy away from the process:

1. After you have washed and dried the fruit, you should prepare it accordingly. That means: pitting or peeling – depending on the type of fruit. Then weigh your finished cut and peeled fruit.
2. Depending on how you prefer your jam, chop or puree the fruit.
3. Then place the fruit in a large saucepan. This should be no more than half full with the fruit, as the jam can boil over very quickly. Then stir in the preserving sugar in the appropriate ratio.
4. Slowly cook the mixture on medium-high. Once your jam is boiling and bubbling, it will take another five minutes for the jam to be ready.
5. If you are unsure whether your creation is ready, take a little out of the pot and let it drip onto a plate. If the mass is firm, your jam is ready. Otherwise, add a little lemon juice and leave the jam on the stove for another two to three minutes.
6. If your jam has passed the blob test, you can pour it into the jars.