Topic: Urgent help please......chutney not thickening

[jennym]

I wouldn't recommend adding arrowroot or any other thickener to chutney.
In fact, I'd say it's really unwise to do this.
Adding thickeners would give the impression that the chutney had reached its proper consistency and acidity, when in fact it hadn't - the effect being that it wouldn't necessarily keep safely.
The river cottage recipe contains some ingredients with a very high water content, so it would take a longish while to thicken.
Looking at Paulines7 original post, it may be possible that the chutney didn't actually get hot enough to disperse the water in it.
"Simmering" is a difficult term to comment on, except to say that I have recorded temperatures as low as 80 degrees C in a chutney that appeared to be simmering, and this isn't hot enough to do a good job.
A heat diffuser under a thick bottomed open pan is the best bet, as you can then get the heat right up to a rolling boil, the water then comes off, the ingredients cook safely and the sugar changes it's nature so that the mixture will then thicken.

[Jeannine]

I absolutely agree with jennym,  I would only consider this if I was trying to make a small batch of chutney that would be consumed in 1 meal, some of the curry dishes to suggest a "one off" chutney as an accompaniment but it is not intended for anything more than a side dish of veggies would.

When I make chutney I take it to a good boil and only turn it down when it starts to thicken. Often there is more liquid than you require, some comes from the fruit and veggies that you put in it so I err on the side of frugality and avoid adding liquid till the veggies start to break down, sometimes tweaking chutneys are part of the prep.

I would be more concerned about the keepabilty of your chutney rather than the thickness, many chutneys simply are not thick..compared to ..say Branston Pickle for eg.

 Another idea as you use it up would be to put a jar through a blender and use it as a dipping sauce , not all of it, but just sometimes. This would be a great tasting sauce which would have many uses. I have made some of my best recipes using stuff this way.

If you really feel you have to thicken it you could try it with a pectin used for jam making but you would have to the whole lot again and take it to a full rolling boil, personally I wouldn't do it now but an idea for next time, it might not work if the sugar and acidity are not fully balance but it would make a difference. Many commercial chutneys do have fruit pectin for just this reason.

Adding any starch might make the preserving method unsafe.

XX Jeannine

Actually I am curious to see the recipe?

[mat]

I too did a recipe modified slightly, from a "WI" book I bought.  It too wouldn't thicken.  I was allowing it to simmer (topless!) slowly on top of the coal stove.  One batch took 14 hrs and another took 18hrs to thicken.  I was worried too as it was my "first time" and the recipe said 3-4hrs... at that point it was way too wet.  Neither batch burnt.  both tasted intensely rich, in fact the 18hr batch ended up tasting not too unlike branstons. 

I use arrowroot for thickening all sorts - it's great, but didn't in the chutney.  It's important to mix the arrowroot in a small amount of water (as little water as poss!) before adding it to the hot liquid.

[Paulines7]

I just thought I would bring you up to date with this.  The chutney eventually thickened so I bottled it, labelled it and put it in the cupboard to keep.  I left it until  the new year then opened my first jar and gave some away to friends and family.  It turned out just to the right consistency and the taste is perfect. 

I think Jennym hit the nail on the head when she said that "the chutney didn't actually get hot enough to disperse the water in it".  I was too scared of burning it and ending up with another batch of Barbecue style chutney!  By not having the correct temperature, it took several hours to thicken.  A lesson learned for next time I think so thank you Jennym.

[jennym]

You're welcome!

[PurpleHeather]

I suppose adding apples to stew in it to thicken it is a daft suggestion too.

[tim]

What about a thermometer as a guide?

[jennym]

Thermometer is a good guide to making sure the chutney reaches above sterilisation point, and a heat diffuser is very valuable in helping you to control the heat going into the mixture without burning.
Apples in a recipe for chutney are fine, quite a lot of recipes include apples, but I'm not sure about their general thickening qualities, I find apples vary such a lot in their flesh solidity consistency according to variety, growing conditions, age etc.
I'd say that if the recipe is correct to start with, and contains the right proportion and quality of vinegar, then by the time the chutney does thicken it will have reached its proper acidity level. You can test for acidity but most people at home don't have this facility.