Topic: Can Blackcurrant Jam be saved

[Barnowl]

Oh had her first jam making attempt at the w.e. but the Blackcurrrant Jam/jelly has turned out very runny. Can she fix this somehow?

Also any ideas what might have caused it would be welcome? She used a Good Housekeeping recipe but halved the quantities - might that have caused the problem?

[twinkletoes]

I believe you can return the jam to the preserve pan and bring it back to the correct jam boiling temperature and proceed as you did before, testing for setting.  If that is wrong, I am positive someone will come along and put us right.
twinkletoes

[Barnowl]

Thanks  Twwinkltoes. She used a jam thermometer, but perhaps should have kept it at the setting temperature for longer. As you say, the question is whether it can be returned to the pot for a second try or is doomed to use as sauce for duck and ice cream (not at the same time).

[Green_Gooseberry]

duck and blackcurrant sauce? never tried that but it sounds good.

[Barnowl]

Throw in a bit of port as well :)

[calendula]

assuming the amount of sugar was correct then twinkletoes is right - to be sure you need to do the little test of a spoon of jam on a plate, let it cool and touch it with your fingertip and if it feels/looks like it is setting then all is well

[valmarg]

The only difference I do with calendula's plate test, is to put the plates in the fridge a while before testing, and to take the jam off the heat while testing (basically if it is ready while you carry out the test, the jam will be overcooked if you leave it on the heat).

valmarg

[OllieC]

It's completely fixable!

If it reached the desired temperature then you have the correct sugar content. This means that pH or pectin needs fixing. Lemon juice (or apple, or gooseberry etc.) will fix the pH; artificial pectin will fix the pectin. Some purists will claim that they can taste the pectin - I don't really eat jam much, other than with meat, but my dad is pretty OCD when it comes to jam!

[grawrc]

Yes I agree with both Calendula and Valmarg, but I would say put the plate with the teaspoonful of hot jam back in the fridge to cool. Your plate is already cold out the fridge or freezer so the jam cools pretty fast. When it is cold push it slightly with your fingertip. If it wrinkles it's ready. If it doesn't put the jam back on for a further 5 minutes then repeat the test. And so on until it's ready.

I use a thermometer too but the jam reaching "jam" temp is just a signal that it's time to start testing. If Jennym is about she is the real expert and will give you infallible advice!!

I've just read Ollie's post and would try more boiling first then if it doesn't work go the pectin route. Lemon pips in a bit of muslin would do the job too leaving the lemon itself for the g+t you pour for you and your wife while you're waiting for the jam to set! ;)

[jennym]

Grawc, you flatterer you!  ;D

Barnowl, blackcurrants have so much pectin in them, and the jam normally sets so easily, that I guess the problem may be temperature. If you happen to be using a "conventional" brass or stainless steel thermometer, the sort you hang in the pan, they do tend to be inaccurate. I had one that was actually at least 3 degrees out, so test the thermometer in boiling plain water and see if it reads 100 deg C.
Being a purist,  ;D must disagree a litle with OllieC's comment "If it reached the desired temperature then you have the correct sugar content"
This isn't really correct, because jam can get to above 104 degrees C without the right amount of sugar in it, so that isn't really a way of assessing the sugar content.

When it comes to pectin, the best way of checking if the fruit has enough to set, is to cook the fruit first without sugar.
Then take a sample teaspoonful of the cooked juice out and put it in an old eggcup and leave to cool, well away from your pan. When this sample is cool, and well away from your main pan, add just enough methylated spirits to cover this teaspoonful of juice.
If the pectin is present, the juice will form a distinct whole raised jelly-like blob when you tip it out onto an old plate. If it breaks up easily or doesn't form a blob, this indicates that there isn't enough pectin to set jam. It could be because there's too much water in the fruit, in which case just cooking more will solve the problem or the pectin needs bringing out with acid, like lemon juice, or pectin rich fruits like apple or gooseberry could be added.
But all this can only be done easily before the sugar is added. Once you have a satisfactory blob forming when you do your test, then add your sugar - usually at this stage it would be 1kg of sugar for every kg of cooked fruit.

[Gail-M]

Hi Barnowl,

I agree with all of the above !! 

I have never tried re- boiling the jam. However last year my blackcurrant jam did not set ( for the first time ever ) and stayed runny when I put it in jars and cooled it. As I was too busy to dispose of it & wash all the jars, etc I stuck it in the cupboard to be dealt with at a later date - when I got round to it - probably months later I found it had somehow firmed up and was fine & useable as jam - if slightly soft set.

So don't give up -  Good luck

Gail 

[Barnowl]

Taking off the heat while testing, iffy thermometer, to mention just two of the many pieces of advice and possibilities you've posted.

Thank you all very much for the information  :)

Will check out the thermometer for starters!

[sandringham]

A member of my family is a Diabetic so she always makes our "Jam" on the very runny side so it never sets (because of the very reduced Sugar content). It tastes a lot sharper than traditional jam which we all like better than the very sweet stuff anyway. Making it this way means you can taste the flavour of the fruit better and in our experience it keeps just as well. I still have some Blackcurrant Jam from 2007 which we are just finishing off now and it tastes just as good as the new batch. Plus it sinks into Crumpets much better  :)

Sandringham.

[Barnowl]

Thanks. Good to hearit will keep ok  :)