Jelly advice please

[Pampy Profile]

I have spent the weekend making (or trying to make) chilli apple jelly, which I've successfully made several times in the past.
First problem - I realised that my maslin pan doesn't work on an induction hob so had to transfer the contents to a couple of ordinary pans. After simmering the apples to a soft pulp, I strained it and after adding the sugar and chilli, boiled (again, in an ordinary pan) until it reached 105°C. I put it into jars and put the lids on. The remnants in the pan and on the ladle seemed to have set to the right consistency but the jelly in the jars has not set at all. It's still as liquid as when I potted it - like a thick syrup.
My question - can I just put it all back into a pan and re-boil to a higher temperature? Would I need to add anything if I did this?
I don't have to waste it!

[Sakkarin Profile]

Can't help with the question, but learnt two things from your post:

1. A Maslin pan is a jam pan.
2. Aluminium saucepans don't work on an induction hob.

Does remind me of when I tried recooking some unset marmalade and ended up binning it as it turned into orange tar

[Pampy Profile]

The strange thing is that my maslin pan is stainless steel and should work on the hob but it just wouldn't play ball. Anyone want a s/s maslin pan?

[scullion Profile]

2. Aluminium saucepans don't work on an induction hob.
(

some stainless steel pans don't either - it has to be the right grade of stainless steel.

i would be inclined to bring the jelly/syrup back to the boil for a little longer and re pot it.

[scullion Profile]

does a magnet stick to the pan? if not, it's the wrong grade, unfortunately.
i have to get a new jam pan - mine is aluminium and will be useless when the induction is fitted.
i may make a mini pond in the garden!

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Sometimes a jelly takes more than 24 hours to set properly. I´ve got no idea why, but it´s happened in the past.
My experience re-heating thin jelly to make it thicker has not been too successful , either. I usually end up with tarmac which needs an ice pick to break it up.
For this batch, I´d go the pectin way. Depending on how much jelly you´ve got, bring it back to a boil then add the pectin and cook for 2 minutes, no more.

[Suffs Profile]

You beat me to it Clive ... I was going to say 'add pectin' .... that reminds me, must get around to making some mint jelly very soon ... the mint is lush at the moment.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

The h point: apart from the composition of the steel, the base of the pan has to be smooth and flat to make good contact with the induction hob, though I’d expect that to be the case with a maslin pan

[Seatallan Profile]

Pampy, just boil it up again. It'll almost certainly reach setting point on a second boil. It's happened to me several times in the past. As has been said, the addition of pectin would help- try adding the juice of a lemon if you have one to hand. Keep testing from the moment it comes to a rolling boil as it'll probably 'go' pretty quickly.

[ZeroCook Profile]

.

You may just have used apples with v. low pectin, Pampy.

Agree that some jells take a while but also indicates low pectin - was reading up on jelling a while back when making marmalade from pink grapefruit - pectin forming threads and so on. I actually ended up using a thermometer just to see if it made a difference since with normal sugar content jams and jellies it's also a temperature/sugar concentration thing. I also ended up reboiling and adding the juice of a large lemon on top of the juice of a lemon I'd already added and thought would do it for flavour and pectin. This was for 500g fruit.

The jelling also takes place after cooling ie bottling. But as said, the problem when it's runny is simply not enough pectin - add lemon juice etc. and don't overboil or will turn to tar!

Pectin often seems to work best by boiling the mixture for an hour or so and then leaving overnight and giving a fast 15-20 minute simmer the next day to get a good jell.

I made grape jelly from some not very tangy bought black grapes and added lemon juice to jell - too much for the fruit quantity it turned out and made a very stiff fast setting jelly - so watch out for quantities and ratios




.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I use (or should I say, used) something called "Quick Set" pectin. What I´ve got in the cupboard right now is something I bought in Walmart in the USA last year. The "Quick Set" only needs a couple of minutes on high heat.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Hope you've rescued it Pampy.........

[janetmw Profile]

It is possible to test the pectin levels before adding the sugar which will give you an idea if a set is going to be easy to achieve.

Place a teaspoonful of the prepared juice or, if making jam, the cooked fruit avoiding solid bits, in a small glass. Let it cool. Then add a tab!espoon of methy!ated spirits. Give it a quick swirl to mix. If a definite clot forms, there is adequate pectin in the juice. A looser clot may indicate some extra help in the way of lemon juice is needed.

The best apples to use are cookers such as Bramley's. I have made a successful batch of chilli jelly using crabapples from the garden as a base.

Hope this helps

Janet

[Pampy Profile]

Thanks, Janet. I've always used Bramley's in the past with no problems but the ones I have just used were freebies from a tree growing on public land (gathered by a friend, not me!). It's absolutely massive and the branches are drooping with the number of apples on them. They taste quite nice but I did wonder about the pectin level before I started.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Wow, Janet - I´ve never heard of that before!
That´s a very good tip!