16 Sweet and Savory Jam Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the sugar to fruit ratio for jam? ›

(2)Most jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. I usually use a 75 % ratio, or 1 ½ pounds of sugar to every 2 pounds of fruit, unless the fruit is not very sweet, in which case, I adjust accordingly.

- Use jams as a sandwich spread, to top brie or goat cheese, mixed into cream cheese as a dip or spread, added to a panini sandwich, or as a topping for beef or pork.

- Reducing or completely skipping the sugar in regular jam or jelly will result in a failed product. But today, there are many choices for making low-and no-sugar products using one of the many pectin products that are not dependent upon sugar for a proper set.

Use fresh, dry, slightly under-ripe fruit. Strawberries and raspberries are best layered with the sugar and left for a couple of hours before cooking. Plums, currants, gooseberries, cherries etc need to be lightly poached before sugar is added. Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set.

The ratio between fruit and sugar varies: with sweet fruits, it's about 2:1 (2 kilos of fruit, 1 of sugar), while with more bitter fruits like oranges, it should be more like 3:2. If uncertain, it's better to round up with the sugar. The other potential ingredients – lemon and pectin – are found in many jam recipes.

Jam recipes mostly comprise equal weights of fruit and sugar. You can play with this 1:1 ratio as much as you want, but too much fruit and you may lose the preserving effects of the sugar; too much sugar and it may crystallise during storage.

To try out this two-ingredient trick, add just a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice, then taste the jam. If it's still too sweet, try adding another squeeze of lemon juice, but hold back on any more salt, since the salt can ultimately make it taste even sweeter, which we don't want.

The best jams strike a balance among three ingredients: fruit, sugar and acid. Peak-season fruit is thickened with granulated sugar, which, along with an acid like lemon or lime juice, helps enhance its flavor.

Jam is a relatively simple process: you cook your fruit until it is soft enough, then add sugar and boil it until it reaches setting point.

Lemon juice contains natural pectin, a substance found in the cell walls of fruits that helps to thicken and set the jam or jelly. Pectin is crucial for achieving the desired consistency and texture in jams and jellies.

What is the best sugar for jam? ›

Coarse-grain white granulated sugar is best for jam-making as it ensures a good clear jam, but fine caster sugar can also be used. The coarse grains dissolve more slowly and evenly, giving a better result. Granulated sugar with added pectin is also available, but it shouldn't be necessary to use this.

Heat the sugar before adding to the fruit

Jam made faster is fresher and even more delicious. Heat the sugar for around 15 minutes in the oven, on a moderate temperature, before adding to the fruit in your maslin pan. This will help it dissolve even more quickly into the fruit, for a faster thickening.

Affect on Gel Formation: Both lemon juice and vinegar can help with the gel formation in strawberry jam. The acidity in these ingredients helps activate pectin, a natural thickening agent present in strawberries, leading to the desired texture and consistency in the jam.

If you really want to thicken it to a more spreadable consistency, the easiest way is to heat it up with some thickeners such as cornstarch. Arrowroot flour is more delicate and taste-neutral, but most cooks won't have it. Unflavored gelatin may also be used. Bring the syrupy “jam” to boil in a pot.

First, there is jam sugar in a 1:1 ratio, where you use as much fruit as sugar. Then there are 2:1 or 3:1 ratios, where the amount of sugar is less than the amount of fruit. This makes the fruit flavor of the jam more pronounced, and less sweet overall.

A typical jar of jam may contain anywhere from 40-60% sugar by weight, depending on the recipe. This means that a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of jam may contain approximately 10-15 grams of sugar, or 2.5-3.5 teaspoons.

Top tips for making jam

As a guide, use a cup of sugar for every cup of chopped fruit. To set, jam needs the right balance of acid and pectin. High-acid fruits include citrus, cherries, green apples, pineapple, raspberries and plums.

In addition to sweetening and helping with gel formation in regular jams, jellies and preserves, sugar plays a very important role in preventing spoilage. The large amount of sugar present reduc- es the “available” moisture for microbial growth.