Jelly is a delicious side dish with toast, muffins and even scones! Unlike jam, jelly contains fewer fruit seeds. In addition, the color is more transparent and the texture is denser. To make it yourself at home, you only need to prepare fruit, a saucepan, sugar, pectin, and a glass jar. Once cooked, the delicious jelly can be eaten immediately, or frozen for a longer shelf life.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Cutting and Boiling Fruit
Step 1. Use unsweetened fruit juice or other sweeteners to speed up the jelly making process
Using fruit juice instead of fresh fruit pieces can significantly reduce the duration of making jelly, you know! However, make sure you only use fruit juices that have not been added sweeteners and calcium, and don't forget to find the recipe you want before buying fruit juice at the supermarket so that the dosage is right.
- In general, you need 360 to 480 ml of fruit juice to make about 1 kg of jelly.
- If using fruit juice, skip the "Adding Sugar and Pectin" step.
Step 2. Use in-season fruit or fruits from the berry family to make jelly
Also, don't be afraid to mix different kinds of fruit! In fact, apples, oranges, berries, plums, grapes, and apricots are the perfect jelly-making ingredients. Most importantly, choose fruit that is really ripe to get maximum results. If the fruit you purchased is not ripe, wait a few days before turning it into jelly.
- If you want, you can also combine fruits with various types of fresh herbs, such as apricots with rosemary or strawberries with min.
- Pineapple, kiwi, papaya, and mango are some of the fruits that are difficult to make into jelly because they all contain enzymes that prevent gelatin from solidifying.
Step 3. Wash and cut the fruit to a thickness of 2.5 cm
Since bacteria are jelly's biggest enemy, make sure all the fruit you use is thoroughly washed and dried with paper towels or kitchen rags. Also, use a clean cutting board and kitchen knife to chop fruit!
- Smaller fruits, such as blueberries and grapes, don't need to be chopped. The process of cutting the fruit is actually done only to get the juice out more quickly when it boils.
- No need to bother removing the skin and seeds of the fruit. In fact, both can make the taste of fruit juice more delicious. After all, you can always filter it in later stages, right?
Step 4. Mash the fruit with a wooden spoon or a potato masher
Place the diced fruit in a large bowl and mash until the fruit softens and the juices come out. The more juice that comes out at this stage, the shorter the duration of fruit ripening will be.
Skip this step if you don't want to mash the fruit first. However, understand that softening the fruit can make it easier for the juices to come out
Step 5. Cook the fruit over low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes
Follow the instructions on the recipe for the amount of fruit you need to cook. For example, 4.3 kg of apricots can yield about 1.4 liters of juice. Please include all parts of the desired fruit, including the skin and fruit seeds. Bring the fruit to a boil over low heat for 20-30 minutes.
Pots made of copper or stainless steel will give the best results, especially since other metals may interact negatively with the acid in the fruit. As a result, your homemade jelly will have a slightly metallic taste when eaten
Step 6. Strain the fruit using a special cloth to strain the cheese into a measuring cup
In the mouth of a large measuring cup, place a piece of cloth to sift through the cheese, then tie the edges of the cloth with rubber so that the center can hold the weight of the pulp and drip the jelly into the glass. Slowly pour the juice through the cloth and allow the juices to drip naturally into the glass (don't squeeze the cloth!). After that, the surface of the cloth should be filled with pulp in the form of skin, seeds, and other densely textured parts of the fruit.
After filtering the juice, the pulp can be discarded or processed into compost
Part 2 of 3: Adding Sugar and Pectin
Step 1. Put the juice and pectin in a clean saucepan with a flat bottom
Follow the amount of juice and pectin listed in the recipe. To make standard servings of jelly, you'll generally need to use 1 pack of regular powdered fruit pectin or 6 tablespoons. classic powdered fruit pectin.
- If you use packaged fruit juice to make jelly, this is where the cooking process will begin.
- You can easily find fruit pectin on the shelf of cake ingredients in various supermarkets. This material serves to make the jelly texture feel solid.
Step 2. Bring the juice and pectin mixture to a boil, then add the sugar to a saucepan
Stir the jelly periodically and pour in the required amount of sugar all at once. Generally, you need to use 180 to 240 grams of sugar for 240 ml of fruit juice.
Use heat-resistant gloves when handling the pan to prevent your hands from burning
Step 3. Stir and simmer the jelly for 1 minute until the temperature reaches 104°C
Remember, the jelly has to be stirred constantly for the sugar to dissolve and give off a chemical reaction when it mixes with the pectin. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the jelly, and make sure it doesn't exceed 106°C.
A candy thermometer is the perfect helper because all you have to do is pin it to the rim of the pan while keeping your focus on stirring the jelly
Step 4. Turn off the heat of the stove and remove the foam that forms on the surface of the jelly
Place the pan on a heat-resistant surface, then use a wooden spoon to scoop up any foam that forms on the surface of the jelly. Remember, don't stir the foam or let the jelly cool down completely first.
- If you don't bother picking up the foam that forms, add 1/2 tsp. softened butter in a saucepan after the stove is turned off.
- Take a little jelly with a spoon and the texture. The jelly is ripe and ready to eat if it feels lumpy, not runny, when dropped with a spoon. If the jelly looks like it's flowing from the spoon, it means it's still not the right consistency. In other words, you may need to increase the amount of pectin or modify the temperature of the jelly as it cooks.
Part 3 of 3: Packing and Storing Jelly
Step 1. Transfer the jelly to a preheated jar to prevent the jelly texture from spoiling
To warm the jar, there are several ways you can do. The first method, turn on the dishwasher and install the rinse feature since before you add the pectin and sugar to the juice. The second method, fill the sink with hot water and immerse the jar in it, or place the jar near a heat source on the stove.
Follow the instructions and use the recommended jar size when transferring the jelly. Changing the size of the jar can affect the processing time of the jelly
Step 2. Eat the jelly immediately after letting it cool to room temperature
If you're eating the jelly right away, there's no need to freeze or preserve it. Instead, just let the jar of jelly sit on the counter until it cools down. Leftover jelly can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
On the surface of the jar, do not forget to attach a piece of paper with the date on which the jelly was packaged with the help of masking tape. Doing so will help you figure out the jelly's expiration date
Step 3. Freeze the jelly to increase its shelf life
If you don't have enough space to store the jelly in your pantry, try freezing it so that the jelly stays in good quality for a longer period of time. Do not forget to leave a gap of about 1 cm between the surface of the jelly and the mouth of the bottle, cool the jelly at room temperature, and close the jar tightly before putting it in the freezer.
- Also make sure the jars are labeled with the “jelly packaging date” before placing them in the freezer.
- When going to be consumed or processed, place the jar on the kitchen table to soften the contents, about 1-2 hours. Never warm a jar of frozen jelly in the microwave or oven!
Step 4. Increase the shelf life of the jelly by packing it using the canning method
First of all, close the jar tightly, then immerse the jar in water. After that, close the canner or a special pot for sterilizing the jars and boil the water that soaks the jars according to the instructions listed. When the time is up, turn off the stove, open the canner lid, and let the jars soak in the water for 5 minutes. Then, remove the jar and place it on a paper towel, then refrigerate it for 12-24 hours. Then, you can stick a label on the surface if you want, keep it and enjoy it for yourself or give it to someone else as a gift.
If the lid of the container comes off during the canning process, don't fix it. Instead, wait until the container has cooled completely to close the lid
Tips
- Have a jelly making party! In other words, try inviting a few friends over to your house and asking each of them to bring a different kind of jelly. Or, you and them can also have a jelly swapping game. For example, everyone has to take several jars of jelly and exchange them so that everyone can receive several types of jelly at once.
- Always keep your hands and utensils clean when cooking.
- Always clean the jelly jar with kitchen paper. Remember, sponges can contain millions of bacteria that could easily transfer to your homemade jelly.
