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Dessert

Cranberries, to Preserve

A preserve made by simmering cranberries with sugar and water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Cranberries, to Preserve

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Pick and discard any injured cranberries.

  2. In a preserving pan, layer cranberries and sugar alternately.

  3. Add 1 cup of water to the pan.

Cook

  1. Boil gently and skim off any foam.

  2. Cook for 20 minutes after it comes to a boil.

Store

  1. Store the preserve in tightly covered jars.

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

Cranberries
Provide the tart fruit base and pectin that help the preserve set as it cooks.
Sugar
Sweetens and balances tartness, and helps the preserve thicken and keep.
Water
Starts the cooking liquid so the sugar dissolves and the fruit softens evenly.

The step that matters

Boil gently and skim off any foam. Vigorous boiling can break up the fruit and scorch the sugar, while foam left on the surface can cloud the preserve and affect its texture. Gentle heat keeps the result clear and well set.

“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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