How long does it take to make Fruit Jam?
Orange marmalade: a kilo of oranges and 750 g sugar, the juice of half a lemon, and a long cook of about three hours, until the jam is syrupy.
38 minTotal
6 minActive time
32 minSetting
Step by Step
| # | What to do | How long |
|---|
| 1 | Put the fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a pot | — |
| 2 | Bring to a boil, stirring | 5 min |
| 3 | Skim off the foam that rises at the start of cooking with a spoon | — |
| 4 | Turn down the heat and simmer 30–35 minutes | 32 min |
| 5 | Test the thickness: the jam is ready when a drop of it on a cold plate sets | — |
| 6 | Pour into clean, sterilized jars | 1 min |
| 7 | Keep in the fridge for up to a month | — |
How to Tell It's Done
Tips
- The plate test: chill a small plate in the freezer ahead of time, drip a little jam onto it and wait half a minute. If the drop wrinkles when you push it with your finger, the jam is ready.
Common Mistakes
- A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
More Ways
- About 600–800 g sugar per kilo of fruit, and the juice of one lemon: less sugar only for jam kept in the fridge and eaten quickly.
- Skim the foam throughout the cooking, or the jam turns cloudy.
- Test on a cold plate: a line drawn through a drop stays open, or 107–110°C (225–230°F) on a thermometer.
- For low-pectin fruit, add pectin, about 1.5% of the fruit's weight, and mix it first with the sugar: pectin poured into the pot on its own forms lumps.
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