Strawberry jam is an incredibly tasty treat loved by adults and children. However, not every housewife knows that in order to get a decent density of jam from strawberries, it is imperative to observe a special cooking technology.
How to make thick strawberry jam with whole berries
Rinse the berries and remove all debris and sepals. For rinsing, use exclusively cold water, and the process itself should not take more than three minutes, otherwise the berries will become limp. Transfer the strawberries to a colander or strainer to drain off excess water. After about 30 minutes, take an enamel bowl or saucepan, spread the strawberries in a thin layer on the bottom and sprinkle them with sugar, spread another layer of strawberries on top of the sugar and sprinkle it with granulated sugar. Continue creating layers until you run out of berries. The mass of the berries should be equal to the mass of sugar, that is, a kilogram of sand must be taken per kilogram of strawberries.
Let the berries brew for about five hours, then pour the released juice into a bowl or saucepan. It is very important to take into account that strawberries are a rather juicy berry, therefore, to make jam from it, you need to take one and a half times more sugar than the berries themselves, that is, one kilogram of strawberries - one and a half kilograms of sugar. Therefore, after draining the juice, add more sugar to it (if you are going to cook jam from 1 kg of berries, then pour 500 grams of sand, from 2 kg - a kilogram, etc.). Put a bowl of juice and sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring the mass to a boil. Gently put the berries in the boiling syrup, stir and bring to a boil. Remove the jam from the heat and wait for it to cool completely. After cooling the jam, put it back on the fire until it boils. Remove the foam from the boiled jam and put it off the heat. Repeat the procedure one more time. As a result, you get a delicious thick jam with whole berries.
How to make thick strawberry jam with gelatin
Few people know that thick strawberry jam can be made without a lot of sugar, all that is required is to include gelatin in the recipe.
Take a kilo of strawberries, sort through them and rinse them. Cover the berries with a glass or two of sand and let it brew (if you like sweeter, then take a little more sugar). After a couple of hours, put the saucepan with strawberries on low heat.
Pour a bag of gelatin (a tablespoon) into a glass of water and leave for 20 minutes. Add a little vanillin (a quarter of a pod) to the boiled jam and pour the gelatin mixture (it must be preheated in the microwave). Mix everything and continue cooking for another three minutes. The jam is ready, put it in jars, store in the refrigerator. It should be noted that this delicacy is best consumed in the next two weeks.
