Will it set??

No matter how long you’ve been making home preserves there’s nothing more disappointing then when the jam, jelly, marmalade, etc. doesn’t set. Sure, you can open and pour ALL your jars back into a pot, add MORE sugar and pectin only to do the process all over again, but how frustrating is that?

So, how do you know if you’re recipe has set? There’s a few different approaches out there (get it to a certain temp., roll boil for a defined amount of time, etc.), but the only tried and true method I have found is the spoon test. I found this in the Better Homes & Garden cookbook most of us probably have on our shelves (that our mom’s bought for us!).

Now, I’ve seen this work for both pectin and non-pectin recipes. Once you’ve roll boiled for at least a minute (or when you feel it getting thick for non-pectin recipes) start dipping a larger sized spoon in the mixture. When the mixture completely coats the spoon and forms one complete drop at the bottom of the spoon you can feel confident your mixture will set. On average (for pectin recipes) I’ve found this ranges from 1 ½ to 2 minutes of roll boiling – I like to make sure it’s going to set!

But this is also a preference thing. If you like a softer spread you may only want one minute of roll boiling. I prefer a more set spread, so will let it go for another 30-45 seconds. I’ve made one too many marmalades that haven’t set and been devastated after four hours of prep!

This is a part of home preserving I’ve enjoyed experimenting with and I continue to play around with it. When making non-pectin recipes get yourself a LARGE spoon (like serving size) and when you get one consistent drip at the bottom of the spoon you’re done.

Good luck – we all need it at that crucial stage!