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Produce => Recipes => Topic started by: Paulines7 on October 28, 2008, 19:04:15
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I have had my apple, marrow and plum chutney on for 7 hours now and it still isn't thick. Is there anything I can add to help it please? I don't know what I have done wrong. It is Hugh FW's recipe shown here:
http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~August/122/Glutney.aspx
I did use 50-50 wine and white vinegar as I didn't have any wine vinegar.
The other problem is that it is very hot (spicy) as I added two teaspoons of chilli powder instead of sliced chilli. I have some tins of tomatoes which might make it less hot but this will make it even more runny.
Your advice would be very welcome please.
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I would think the wine would just evaporate Pauline.I tried to cook some chops in Cider once and it just kept going dry.
I am not a great cook. :)
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I suggest you go to the Delia on line message board and ask anastasia the chutney queen. I am sure she could advise you.
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I have made over 70 jars of glutney from this recipe and it thickens as liquid reduces through evaporation (so dont cover with a lid)as it cools it does get a wee bit thicker but does not get a set consistency, i use it to flavour stews casseroles and curries as well as with various cheeses and salads but you do need to leave it to mature, i also haven't 1 batch the same as the others they all differ but taste great
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I agree with Hippydave Pauline, keep reducing. I spent 6 hours making tomato ketchup......and got one bottle!
Got loads of chutney though. It can take ages but it will get there ;)
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What about cost?Would not fancy running my electric cooker for seven hours.
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You could strain it, then reduce the liquid on a hotter temp, it will be less likely to catch and will evaporate quicker, then combine the solids and liquids again. It will taste less fiery when it has cooled down.
XX Jeannine
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Thank you all very much for your replies. The chutney eventually went thicker and I took the plunge and put it in jars.
Hippydave, it was useful to know that you have used the same recipe and that it does not get to a set consistency.
Jeannine, it does taste a little less fiery now that it has cooled down. I only hope that the flavour improves with keeping!
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Another tip is to buy a diffuser...the metal things that go under the pot. I have found it works for me. That way you can increase your flame under the pot without the risk of you chutney burning. Also ....a tall pot takes longer for chutney to reduce..using a preserving pan gives you a wider surface area and faster reduction.
Duke
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I used the glutney recipe and it worked very well, and is tasting more and more smooth yet interesting with age. It is thickish but not set like jelly or jam, of course.
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I have had my apple, marrow and plum chutney on for 7 hours now and it still isn't thick. Is there anything I can add to help it please? I don't know what I have done wrong. It is Hugh FW's recipe shown here:
http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~August/122/Glutney.aspx
I did use 50-50 wine and white vinegar as I didn't have any wine vinegar.
The other problem is that it is very hot (spicy) as I added two teaspoons of chilli powder instead of sliced chilli. I have some tins of tomatoes which might make it less hot but this will make it even more runny.
Your advice would be very welcome please.
lol i dont know what i have done wrong. hears a clue wine vinegar ... white vinegar two teaspoons of chilli powder ... sliced chilly it did make me smile sorrry
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I have had my apple, marrow and plum chutney on for 7 hours now and it still isn't thick. Is there anything I can add to help it please? I don't know what I have done wrong. It is Hugh FW's recipe shown here:
http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~August/122/Glutney.aspx
I did use 50-50 wine and white vinegar as I didn't have any wine vinegar.
The other problem is that it is very hot (spicy) as I added two teaspoons of chilli powder instead of sliced chilli. I have some tins of tomatoes which might make it less hot but this will make it even more runny.
Your advice would be very welcome please.
lol i dont know what i have done wrong. hears a clue wine vinegar ... white vinegar two teaspoons of chilli powder ... sliced chilly it did make me smile sorrry
Funnily enough it doesn't taste hot at all now. It does have rather a bland taste though, probably due to the fact that I added extra sugar as I thought it might help thicken it. Maybe it will improve with age....I hope so as I have 13 jars of it!! ;D
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Pauline I know this is probably a bit late but, if you have cooked this recipe for 7 hours (OMG!! 7 Hours!!) my guess is you left the lid on the cooking pan?
If that is so then the excess liquid wouldnt be able to evaporate off so you tend to get a runny mix.
At the most this recipe should have taken only about 1 hour to cook and if you cook for that long the flavours disapear.
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Pauline I know this is probably a bit late but, if you have cooked this recipe for 7 hours (OMG!! 7 Hours!!) my guess is you left the lid on the cooking pan?
If that is so then the excess liquid wouldnt be able to evaporate off so you tend to get a runny mix.
At the most this recipe should have taken only about 1 hour to cook and if you cook for that long the flavours disapear.
I didn't have the lid on. The recipe says simmer for 2 to 3 hours but as mine wasn't thickening I kept it on for longer. It may have been something to do with the pan I used as it was a very large stainless steel stew pan.
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i think if you cook anything for 7 hours it would tast mmmmmmmmm lets see burnt
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i think if you cook anything for 7 hours it would tast mmmmmmmmm lets see burnt
It didn't burn at all as I had it on a very low simmer and stirred it frequently.
I did burn some a few years back and then called it "Barbecue flavoured chutney". My son and his family really enjoyed it and every time I saw him he would ask if I had any more of it to give him. ;D
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lol keep trying Pauline and let us know how you get on it may not be quiet right yet but very amusing good luck :-*
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I did burn some a few years back and then called it "Barbecue flavoured chutney". My son and his family really enjoyed it and every time I saw him he would ask if I had any more of it to give him. ;D
Love that one Pauline ;D ;D ;D
Robbo.
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Hi all!
I had the same trouble and found the solution on the web.
Mix a couple of teaspoons of arrowroot in a little water and dribble a bit into simmering chutney.
Stir and check thickening. Only add a little bit at a time because the arrowroot is very effective.
The arrowroot thickens without changing colour or introducing cloudiness as cornflour would do.
I found this forum while googling for a solution so I thought I would let you know what worked for me.
Many regards, Michelle. ;D
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I would take out some of the ingredient's and blend it in the blender or food processor then tip it back into the pot and mix together. qahtan
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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You're welcome!
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I suppose adding apples to stew in it to thicken it is a daft suggestion too.
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What about a thermometer as a guide?
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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.