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Dessert

Jams or Marmalades

Preserved fruit made by layering fruit and sugar, cooking until clear, then jarred.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Jams or Marmalades

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the fruit

  1. Pare, core, and cut large fruits into small pieces.

  2. Wash and hull small fruits.

Make the jam

  1. In a preserving kettle, layer the fruit and sugar.

  2. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes to extract the juice.

  3. Cook slowly until it becomes clear.

  4. To test for doneness, place a small amount on a cold plate; if it hardens, it is done.

Jar

  1. Pour into glasses or jars and cover.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Fruit
Provides the main flavor, body, and natural pectin that helps the jam set.
Sugar
Adds sweetness, draws juice out of the fruit, and helps the jam thicken and keep.

The step that matters

Testing for doneness. Jam sets once its sugar and pectin reach the right concentration, which the cold plate test reveals. Cooking slowly helps keep the sugar from scorching before the jam clears and thickens.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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