A Beginner's Guide To Making Jam: Techniques & Tools

If you are someone who is new to jam-making then it could get confusing and oftentimes, frustrating if you are not equipped with accurate information. Therefore, it is important that you should know what you are doing when making jams at home.

Preparing your homemade jam is a great way to get yourself the goodness of fruits in a delicious way. Not just that, it is also better than buying store-bought jams because it is economical, and gives you complete control over the ingredients so that you can pick the freshest of fruits and avoid ingredients that you are allergic to.

Making your own jam is a simple and rewarding process and you can cook a batch in like 30 minutes. In this article, we look at the best tips and tools that you will need to make the best homemade jam every single time.

A jam is a sweet preserve that is prepared by cooking whole, chopped, or fruit puree by adding sugar until it reaches the perfect consistency. It is that simple. In earlier times, jams were used to store and preserve fresh produce so that they could be enjoyed and eaten during those times of the year when the produce wasn't so readily available. But now since options like canning and freezing have taken over the long-term storage department, jams aren't a necessity but just a sweet delicacy that many people enjoy eating.

Is Making Jam Possible Without Pectin?

It depends. While jam requires some pectin to gel correctly, not all fruits require additional pectin. Pectin is a water-soluble fiber found in small amounts in most fruits. Pectin powder or liquid is an extract available as a jam-making help in most larger grocery stores and online. Pectin powder, when combined with sugar and acid, can either provide extra gelling to lesser pectin fruits or speed up the cooking of any jam by requiring less boiling for thickening.

The Need for Acid

Apart from pectin, you also need your jam with some acidity. It is a crucial factor in jam-making. The importance of acid cannot be understated because it helps release the pectin from fruits which is the key to making jams. Therefore fruits that are high in pectin and acid are often preferred.

Foods that are high in pectin and acid are apples, plums, gooseberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, and damsons, no surprise that these are some of the most popular choices to make jam.

The Importance Of Sugar

There's no getting around the fact that sugar is a key element in traditional jam preparation. Sugar is added not only for sweetness but also to help set the jam and preserve it.

When preparing jam, pectin, and acid react with the cooked fruit and sugar to set the combination. Sugar also prevents pectin from degrading as the fruit cooks.

Important Tools For Jam Making

You will need a few tools and equipment to make sure you make jams efficiently.

Large Saucepan

You will need a large saucepan to cook the jam. As the jam boils, it will foam up quickly and begin to rise. Your pan should be big enough to allow the jam to rise and let it cook.

Jars

You can buy any kind of jars that you prefer but glass ones are the most popular for jams. You will need the jars to store the jam once you have completely made them.

Kitchen Scale

You will also need a kitchen scale to measure the amount of sugar you will need to add to the jam while cooking if you are using a specific recipe. If not, then you can just add the amount that you see fit according to your taste and preferences.