So many different recipes for making jam can be found on the Internet. But, none of them reveals the most important secrets that our grandmothers kept for us, preparing fragrant jars with various sweet fillings for their grandchildren. But it is the correct fulfillment of all the requirements when cooking this dessert that makes it exactly the way we adored it in childhood!
Jam is the most beloved and delicious homemade product that does not require huge expenses for its preparation. This is the only dessert adored by both children and adults. One of the important qualities of this type of sweets is the ability to fulfill the main condition: to be stored and not fermented as long as possible. Therefore, when choosing raw materials, it is necessary to pay special attention to its appearance.
To make jam, you must use ripe, undamaged fruits, without the presence of dark spots on the surface of the peel. Also, the preparation of fruits and their cooking should be carried out with careful observance of the techniques that are indicated below. In this case, the resulting product will not only retain all its taste for a long time, but also serve as a good vitamin supplement on cold winter evenings.
The most corrosive berries must be handled with some care. First, all debris, stalks and leaves are removed. Then a deep container is filled with water and the berry is poured into it. Shaking it a little with your hand, the berries will begin to float. We take them out, carefully put them in a colander so that the water is glass from them. Berries that are not very damaged (gooseberries, cherries, sea buckthorn) can be washed under the tap using the same colander.
Most of the fruits are boiled in sugar syrup of various strengths, and most of the berries can be prepared by sprinkling with granulated sugar.
Cooking utensils
In order to cook the jam according to all the rules, you can use stainless steel or aluminum dishes. But the best option would be a large enamel basin, in which it is much more convenient to mix the contents. It is not advisable to use copper cookware. A green bloom appears on it when cooking sour fruits and berries, which affects not only the quality of the jam, but also your body.
Points to Remember When Using Sugar Syrup
Fruits and berries must not be boiled for a long time. First, the benefits of this will be minimal. Secondly, all the juice from the fruits will be in sugar syrup, which is why they will lose their attractive appearance and, when consumed, will taste hard and dry.
To prevent this from happening, the fruits and berries are boiled several times, dipping them into syrup. As soon as the syrup with the contents boils, it is removed from the heat and left to stand for a couple of hours. In this case, the syrup will nourish the fruit and will not spoil the jam in the subsequent cooking. When a light white bloom appears on the surface of the jam during cooking, this indicates that it is time to remove the foam.
In no case should the sugar syrup turn out to be dark or stringy. If the syrup turned out to be successful, then it will be liquid and translucent, and this indicates that the proportion of water and sugar was correctly maintained.
A clear addition of sugar is required to prepare the syrup:
- for jam from black currant, strawberry, raspberry, cherry it is necessary to take ½ glass of water for 1, 5 kg of granulated sugar;
- for jam from plums, apricots and peaches for 1, 5 kg of sugar 2 ½ cups of water.
How to make syrup
There is one little trick, thanks to which sugar does not burn in the dishes. You must first pour water into the container and practically bring it to a boil. And only after that you can add sugar to the water in small portions, remembering to stir until completely dissolved. After the sugar has dissolved, bring to a boil and remove from the stove. The syrup is ready.
Cooking jam
No complicated recipe is needed here, where everything must be done step by step. Everything is much simpler. Pour the washed, processed, chopped fruits or berries into a deep bowl (enamel basin) and pour the resulting hot, but not boiling syrup.
In order for the jam to turn out juicy and fragrant, we leave the basin alone for 3-4 hours so that the fruits and berries are saturated with syrup and at the same time give it part of our juice. Next, the normal brewing process begins. If the syrup was prepared correctly, then its strength will be no more than 70%, and the boiling point is 106 ̊ С. As soon as the boiling point reaches 107 ̊ С, the cooking must be stopped.
To check whether the jam is cooked or not, the classic method will help us. To do this, we drip our jam onto a paper table napkin. If the drop does not spread, everything is ready, and if the edges are blurred, you need to continue cooking.
This is the simplest and most understandable recipe that helped us make a very tasty and healthy jam, which, despite the calorie content, will appeal to all sweet tooths.
Another useful thing is to put citric acid or lemon juice in the jam. Then the sour fruit jam will acquire a delicate taste and citrus aroma, becoming much tastier. At the same time, lemon and citric acid help the resulting jam to maintain its consistency and not to be sugared for a long time.
How to store ready-made jam
Ready jam must be cooled and poured cold already into jars that have been sterilized in advance. Do not twist to avoid mold. The jam must breathe. To do this, cover the jars with thick parchment and tie them with twine. Store in a cool, dry place.
The rule that nobody canceled
Never cook jam if you intend to cook something else. There should be no extraneous odors in your kitchen, otherwise the jam will absorb them, which will cause an unpleasant aftertaste when used.
Using all the tips listed above, you will get real jam that your homemade will appreciate. Bon Appetit!
