Homemade jams: Basic notions for their preparation (Part I)

Making jam is a pleasure, and enjoying it is a real joy. The main process to prepare it is really simple, but there are many points that are important to know. That is why we have asked Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour , to tell us a little more about them, hoping that it will be of interest to you (*p ost updated in June 2018).

At the end of summer, fruits and vegetables at a good price abound, which make us launch ourselves into preparing homemade preserves, to all those who enjoy cooking and with "home made" preparations.

Preparing jams at home is simple, but it is important to know a series of basic points that will help us to ensure that our preserves have a pleasant texture and flavor, that they do not lose color, and that they last a long time in the pantry without running unnecessary health risks.

Throughout two publications, we are going to examine, from the different varieties of preserves, going through the basic ingredients and their preparation, to the sterilization of the jars, pasteurization and emptying of their contents.

Let's start at the beginning: We are used to calling practically all preserves prepared from fruit and/or vegetables with sugar jam. However, not all are jams, and not all are created equal. Let's see them:

I.- JAMS, MARMALADES AND JELLIES:

Within the preserves of fruits and vegetables with sugar we basically find 3 types of preserves, jams, preserves and jellies.

Marmalade is understood as the canned fruit and/or vegetables previously chopped and macerated in sugar for a few hours, with an addition of sugar that is usually between 45% and 100% of the weight of the clean fruit.

The jams are cooked for a long time, until the fruit is practically pureed. It is convenient to stir the preparation often, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the casserole with so much sugar.

Note, the English term "marmalade" is used only for citrus preserves.

(Left) Example of the texture of the jam; (Right) Example of jelly

The Jams are prepared from whole fruit and sometimes also from chopped fruit, but instead of directly with sugar, with a syrup of about 250 ml of water per kilo of sugar, until a thick texture is achieved.

The jam is cooked for a shorter period of time, since in this case the fruit has to maintain a certain shape and consistency.

In short, the most visual difference between a jam and a jam is found in the texture. The jam comes to be a puree and in the jam we will find bits of fruit, of course, of the different proportion of sugar and the different way of incorporating it into the fruit.

Jellies , on the other hand, are fluid and almost transparent preserves and are made with sugar and concentrated fruit juice. The tastiest are those made with fruit that contains a lot of pectin. Its use is basically as a dessert itself or for icing puff pastry and cakes, since it prevents the dough base from softening with the filling, and it also helps, for example, that the marzipan adheres better.

To get a fruit juice, the small fruit blender is very useful, which will allow us to get the concentrated fruit juice.

II.- PREPARATION, INGREDIENTS AND THE POINT OF THE JAM

1.- For the preparation of fruit preserves, it is convenient to use the fruit at its right point of ripeness, neither too green nor too ripe. In fact, very ripe fruit contains less pectin, a fundamental element in the preparation of this type of sweet preserves that allows its gelatinization due to the effect of heat.

Fruits must be washed well beforehand, especially if fruits with skin or shells are used, which may contain pesticides. Washing must be done very carefully so as not to damage them, so that they do not lose their juices. In addition, we must dry them carefully so as not to add more water than is strictly necessary to the preserve. We must also discard the damaged parts or fruits, since they can spoil our jam or jam.

For fruit with stones, such as cherries, the use of a good stoner is most useful ( I recommend the one from Oxo ), in addition to saving you time and keeping the fruit in its shape, it will prevent you from excessively dirtying your hands.

Oxo small fruit blender and cherry and olive pitter

2.- Sugar is a fundamental element, not only as a sweetener, but also as a preservative.
We must take into account that the fruit should never cook before the sugar has dissolved. That is why the fruit is left to macerate with the sugar so that it dissolves slowly in the jams. And in jams and jellies, sugar previously dissolved in water is incorporated, in the form of syrup or syrup.

The proportion depends a little on the type of preserve, the type of fruit and taste, even the time we want to keep them, but it amounts to an average of 700 gr to 1 kg of sugar, per kilo of chopped and cleaned fruit.

Both white and brown cane sugar can be used. There is also special sugar for jams on the market, which has pectin incorporated.

3.- Lemon is also a common ingredient, since in addition to helping to preserve it, it adds pectin and compensates for the lack of acidity in some fruits.

4.- Another fundamental element in the preparation of homemade jam is, as we have already seen, pectin, as a gelatinizing element: pectin is a natural substance that some fruits contain, to a greater or lesser extent, and that when cooked becomes a gelatin that makes the jam “curdle”.
The fruits that contain the most pectin are apples, quince, citrus fruits and red fruits such as currants or plums.

When a fruit does not contain pectin, there are several solutions, from combining it with other fruits that do contain this element, adding pectin in commercial preparations, and even including apple skins, seeds or cores in cheesecloth during cooking and then removing them.

It must be borne in mind that cooking for too long destroys the pectin. That is why it is not convenient to overcook our fruit preserves.

Another issue to take into account when preparing a fruit and sugar-based preserve is that with the heat of cooking, the preparation is much more liquid, and as it cools it thickens. Therefore, to know the point of the jam, that is, to know when the jam is ready and we can remove it from the heat, we must use a thermometer (you can see the ones we have here , although I especially recommend Gefu's digital thermometer , economical, precise and perfect for all types of food and preparations). The jam will be at its point when it reaches a temperature between 104º-105º C.

Another more homemade option, to verify the point of the jam if we do not have a thermometer , and which is usually infallible, is to put a small amount of the preparation that we are cooking on a cold plate, cool it quickly by putting it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. After this time, remove and push the jam with your finger, if it "wrinkles" and remains clinging to the plate it will be at its point, otherwise it will have to be cooked longer.

Despite the fact that making our own preserves may seem more romantic by doing it with the most common method, over the heat and stirring, it is worth mentioning that today there is a really comfortable option and that many already take advantage of, and that is to prepare them with the bread maker. : many bakeries, or at least one of the most popular, which is the Moulinex bakery , incorporates a program that is specific for jams. So, you put the ingredients (for example, fruit, sugar and lemon juice) in the breadmaker's tray, press the button for program 15 (in the case of the Moulinex), and the breadmaker does the rest. There is a great advantage to this process, and that is that you don't have to worry about stirring: the bread maker's blades stir the ingredients and ensure that they don't stick while the machine provides all the heat that the preparation needs.

Recipe for apricot jam in a Buyer saucepan , for the almond cake with jam

Finally, we must take into account that the preparation of sweet preserves must be done a few weeks before consumption, to give the ingredients time to settle their flavors.

For this, it will be important to store them in properly sterilized jars or, if we are going to consume them in a short time, at least they have been emptied. This is what we will see in the second part that we will dedicate to preserves.

Finally, mention another utensil that will be very useful for you, the wide-necked funnel , perfect for pouring your jams into jars.

For now and until next week, if you want to take note of some recipes to make your own jams, you can see the recipes for:

- Peach jam, in the recipe for almond cake with jam

- Rhubarb and Banana Jam with Citrus

- Cherry and blueberry jam

- Green Apple Jelly

If you are interested in making your own jams and preserves, there is a book that may interest you: From the garden to the pantry, by Mariano Bueno (here).