Which is thicker, jam or jam? What is the difference between preserves, marmalade, confiture and marmalade? Plum, lemon and walnut jam
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Many of us have memories of our favorite jam that our grandmother made - for me, for example, the height of bliss was jam from China ("paradise apples"). In second place is cherry, and always with pits. Both of my grandmothers had special tiny cream cups for jam, which they placed in front of everyone who sat at the tea table.
I must admit, now you see less and less often a housewife who makes jam. There are many excuses: a huge assortment of any preserves, marmalade, confiture, marmalade on supermarket shelves, the process is too labor-intensive. And there is such a huge amount of sweets that it rarely comes to jam.
Jam
The word jam speaks for itself: it is the cooking of berries and fruits in sweet syrup (honey or sugar), usually for subsequent canning for the winter. Traditionally, berries or fruits (and now sometimes vegetables) are covered with a large amount of sugar (mostly in a 1:1 ratio) and cooked in several stages until tender. This processing method produces a clear syrup and whole, uncooked berries, saturated with this syrup. The readiness of the jam is determined simply: you need to drop a little onto the plate - if the jam does not spread, then it is ready. The advantage of such classic jam is that it can be stored for a year or even two, usually in a cellar or other cool, dark place. But there is also a minus - only a small amount of nutrients will be retained in it, although the taste will remain unchanged.
Five-minute jam is very popular - the cooking principle is the same, with the only difference being that it is cooked in several very short steps, five minutes each, or even less. Sometimes such jam is only brought to a boil and immediately turned off. In addition, five minutes contains less sugar, mainly 800 g per 1 kg of berries. But it is believed that the berries in it retain vitamins all winter. Store the jam for five minutes in a cool, dark place.
Advice: to make jam, it is better to use wide dishes with low edges; it’s not for nothing that our grandmothers made jam in basins - this way the liquid boils away faster and the jam thickens.
Raw jam
Popularly, such jam is called scrolling or twisting - it doesn’t need to be cooked at all. Even the most careless housewife can prepare it. Berries or fruits need to be washed well (in this case, especially thoroughly, since they will not be subjected to heat treatment), and dried. Grind in a blender (or pass through a meat grinder) together with sugar and close in a processed jar prepared for long-term storage. Unlike regular jam, this can only be stored in the refrigerator, and even then for a short time - no more than two months. It can also be frozen in small plastic containers. Raw jam is, of course, the healthiest.
Jam, confiture
Immediately following jam in popularity is jam (from the English jam - jam, compressed) or confiture (from the Frenchconfiture - boil in sugar). The process of making jam is not much different from the jam we are used to: berries and fruits are boiled in sweet syrup for about 20-30 minutes, but they are boiled more strongly, or during the cooking process they are specially pureed to an almost homogeneous jelly-like mass. Although there are jams with small pieces of berries or fruits. Properly prepared jam does not spread, but it spreads easily. Confitures and jams are very convenient to spread on toast or serve as an accompaniment to cheese (an appetizer with wine). Jam and confiture are stored in the same way as preserves - in pasteurized jars in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
Advice: it is better to take berries and fruits for confiture or jam that are slightly unripe; they contain more pectin, and the jam thickens faster.
Jam
An equally common sweet is jam (from the Polish powidła - jam), berries or fruits are boiled for it untilpuree state. The cooking time for jam is the longest. Adding sugar or honey is at the discretion of the housewife. It is convenient to use jam as a filling for pies, gingerbread cookies or other baked goods, because due to its thicker consistency it will not leak out during the process.Like other preparations, jam should be stored in treated glass jars in a dark and cool place, but it will keep well in the refrigerator for about two months without pasteurization.
Tip: to make the berry jam thicker, add apples to it during the cooking process (they contain large quantities of pectin).
What a great variety of sweet desserts are invented based on berries, fruits and even some vegetables, boiled with sugar and carefully placed in jars, so enticing to those with a sweet tooth. Typically, these desserts are used as a filling in homemade baked goods or eaten spread on toast, washed down with hot tea. But many of us find it difficult to understand how jam and confiture differ, what is the technology for preparing this or that aromatic dessert. Let's talk about their differences and other unique qualities. This way it will be easier for us not to get confused in their various names.
Jam
How to understand which product is in front of you? What is the difference between jam and marmalade?
First, we will describe the preparation of a classic variation of jam. In order to get the right jam, you need to boil berries or chopped fruits with sugar. While preparing this dessert, you need to monitor the transparency of the syrup. High-quality jam should have as clear a syrup as possible without inclusions. The berries and other ingredients from which this dessert is prepared must keep their shape and in no case fall apart. To fully answer the question of how jam differs from jam, let’s consider the technology by which it (jam) is prepared.
Jam
If the housewife made jam, but the syrup turned out to be very thick, then she ended up with a different product. Moreover, if fragments of fruits are visible in the syrup, they were damaged during cooking and fell off from the main fruit or berry. In this case, no matter how hard the housewife tried, she made jam. Thick syrup and boiled berries are only acceptable for jam. This is the difference between jam and preserves.
Smooth or wrinkled?
Slightly bruised and even damaged fruits are suitable for making jam. It is especially preferable if the fruits contain a lot of pectin substances. Pectin is a substance that helps jam acquire its characteristic stability. If jam can flow, then in the case of jam this is unacceptable. This is another point that distinguishes jam from the weakness of syrup; for jam this is not normal.
How do you know when the jam is ready?
During jam cooking, its readiness is determined by how the cooled product behaves. The mass should not pour from the spoon, but fall off in pieces. Let's hope that now you know exactly how jam and jam differ.
Jam
It is made from very finely crushed fruits. Jam is most often prepared from apples and plums. In addition to fruit ingredients, it contains sugar. Also, for a more interesting aroma, cloves and cinnamon are added to the jam. The result is a very thick dessert that is sweet and has a smooth texture. This is exactly what distinguishes jam from jam and jam.
Jam can be made from overripe and unsightly fruits. In the general mass, it will no longer be visible how beautiful or ugly the fruits were as the basis for the jam. Their beauty does not affect the taste of the finished product. The readiness of the dessert is determined by running a wooden spatula across the bottom of the wide bowl in which it is cooked. If the resulting path fills with jam slowly, you can turn off the stove. Dessert is ready.
What is the difference between confiture and jam?
Confiture is considered to be a close relative of jam. But confiture has a more jelly-like, transparent base, in which preserved, undamaged pieces of berries and fruits are visible. You can even see whole berries in this delicate, beautiful dessert.
Apricots, quinces and apples were the first fruits from which confitures began to be prepared. The dessert was invented in France, and the French thought of adding gelatin to the clear syrup. For a more interesting coloring, berry juice was (and is still being used) used in confiture.
Confiture is prepared from peeled and blanched berries and fruits. You can use fresh or frozen berries.
The fruits are boiled for some time in syrup with added sugar. Then add gelatin or agar-agar, which are harmless thickeners.
To make the taste more pleasant, the confiture is acidified with citric acid and vanillin is added.
To prevent the mass from sticking to the bottom of the dish, under no circumstances should it be mixed with a spatula or spoon. Such manipulations will spoil the integrity of the berries included in the prepared dessert. Mixing occurs by gently rotating the container in which the confiture is cooked. Then all the berries remain beautiful and whole, and the syrup remains transparent.
If the fruits intended for confiture are small in size, then the dessert can be cooked at one time. But if the fruits have a dense texture or are large, then cooking takes place in several stages. Each time it is necessary to completely cool the prepared confiture at room temperature.
The readiness of the tender and sweet confiture can be determined by the pieces of fruit (or whole berries) evenly distributed throughout the mass.
As you can see, the most work and ingenuity is needed when cooking confiture. But the end result is a delicate, aromatic and beautiful dessert.
In winter, it’s so nice to taste aromatic jam with hot drinks and your favorite dishes. Each delicacy has its own characteristics and characteristics, so it’s worth telling how jam differs from preserves and more.
Jam is an original Russian word meaning a treat cooked in sugar syrup from seasonal berries and fruits, popular among Slavic peoples. The delicacy appeared thanks to the Hellenes, who made honey from boiled quince. In Persia, sugar was added to fruits, not honey, and the dish was consumed with spices.
Today, pears, apples, plums, lemons and rose petals often become components of the preparation. The classic delicacy is created from ripe fruits without damage; the sugar content in the finished syrup should be more than 70%. The syrup is boiled in a low and wide steel or aluminum container in several batches; it is not allowed to boil for a long time so that the fruits retain their shape. The fruits should eventually become transparent and the syrup viscous.
Video “Jam, confiture, marmalade: what’s the difference”
From this video you will learn the difference between jam, confiture and marmalade.
Subtleties of making jam
The word “jam” has English roots, the preparation technology is the same as the previous dessert, but the finished dish should turn out jelly-like. Jam differs from confiture in the process of squeezing or crushing the fruit, while the second is similar to jelly with pieces of fruit or berries, sometimes they are left whole.
Jam appeared after a Scottish resident, Janet, once prepared a dessert from bitter oranges boiled with sugar.
For harvesting, it is permissible to take damaged, wrinkled and unripe fruits, preferably apples, plums and quinces. They are blanched and boiled in sugar syrup over high heat; after the moisture has evaporated, it is reduced. Use wide basins or pans made of aluminum and stainless steel. The finished dessert should fall off the spoon in chunks after cooling.
Features of jam
For the delicacy, you need ripe, perhaps overripe, even crushed and damaged fruits, but not spoiled, which are blanched, rubbed through a sieve or passed through a meat grinder. In addition to sugar, add citric acid, cinnamon, cloves and other spices to the dish, which is prepared in a wide container. If you run a wooden spatula along the bottom of a pan or basin, the trace that appears in properly prepared jam should not be filled immediately.
The nuances of creating confiture
Before explaining the differences between the previous desserts and jam, it should be said that this relative of jam comes from London, where the first jams were made from apples, apricots and quinces with gelatin and berry juice.
The treat is created from fruits or berries, fresh or frozen, which are blanched and boiled in syrup, adding a thickener - gelatin or agar-agar, as well as citric acid and vanillin. During the cooking process, rotate the dishes, since a spoon can damage pieces of fruit or berries. When using small fruits, limit yourself to one boil; large ones are boiled several times. In the finished dish, pieces of fruit should be evenly distributed throughout the delicacy.
Fruit and citrus marmalades
Marmalades, like confitures, stand apart from other winter preparations made from boiled berries and fruits, since they differ in their jelly-like structure. Many people think that marmalade comes only from classic English citrus fruits, mainly oranges, and less often from tangerines and lemons. But other countries have their own versions of the dessert: in Portugal and Spain it is a thick, jelly-like delicacy made from quince fruit.
And the Germans call any preserves, jams, marmalades, as well as confitures, marmalades.
The most useful substances are preserved in prepared jams, especially “Five Minutes”, but the raw materials in marmalade, jams and confitures lose almost all their value after long-term processing.
Jam and jam are sweet homemade preparations that retain in their composition the entire palette of useful substances that are rich in fruits and berries used to prepare these sweets. Jam and jam can be eaten simply by spreading it on bread, pancakes, cheesecakes and pancakes. Home baking lovers can add them to various pies and pies.
The consistency of jam and jam are very similar, but some differences in the ingredients and the process of their preparation still make it possible to classify these products as different types of sweets.
Definition
Jam– a product that is prepared from pre-mashed fruits and berries with sugar by boiling them to a homogeneous consistency.
Jam– a product that is prepared from whole or chopped fruits and berries with sugar (honey) by boiling them to a jelly-like state.
Comparison
Jam is a sweet mass of uniform consistency, which is prepared from ripened fruits. It is even advisable to take overripe berries and fruits; carrion and slightly spoiled fruits are suitable (rotten, wormy or bruised parts are cut off before cooking). The raw materials for jam are sorted, washed and ground with sugar. Then cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. The hot jam is put into jars and rolled up. It is believed that if open jars of jam are placed in the oven until a thick crust forms on it, and then rolled up, then such a product will be stored longer.
The best jam is made from apples and plums. This sweet is also prepared from cherries, peaches, apricots, pears, and cranberries. Jam can be one-component or contain several types of fruits (berries).
Jam is a jelly-like sweet product. For its preparation, ripe (even better - slightly greenish) fruits are used. Carrion, overripe and spoiled fruits and berries are not suitable, because they contain very little pectin and the jam will not be able to acquire the correct jelly-like structure. The fruits are washed, large fruits are cut, then placed in a bowl for cooking and filled with sugar syrup. Classic jam is cooked over constantly increasing heat; even after boiling, the flame does not decrease. The cooking time for this sweet product should not take more than half an hour, otherwise it will not have such a rich taste and aroma. After cooking, the jam is placed hot into jars and sealed.
The fruits of gooseberries, currants, raspberries, apples, plums, cranberries, and quinces are excellent for jam. If you take fruits with a low pectin content, you can add pectin powder. In order to add sourness to an overly sweet preparation, tartaric or citric acid can be added to the jam recipe.
Conclusions website
- To make jam, puree fruits and berries is used. Jam is made from whole or chopped fruits.
- It is best to take overripe fruits for jam; carrion and slightly spoiled fruits are suitable. For jam, you should choose slightly greenish fruits.
- The jam has a uniform consistency. The jam is jelly-like and contains pieces of fruit or berries. Pectin powder can be added to the jam.
- The jam is thicker than jam.
- Jam takes longer to cook than jam. After the jam boils, the fire decreases. The jam is cooked over constantly increasing heat for about half an hour.
How nice it is to open a jar of jam in winter! Or jam? What is the difference between jam and marmalade? Jam is some kind of foreign word, jam is another matter, it is clear that it comes from the word boil.
But the difference between jam and jam is not only in the origin of the word. It's all about the shape... When making jam, they strive to ensure that the berries retain their shape and do not turn into mush.
When cooking jam, some precautions are taken - before cooking, soak the fruits in syrup and cook in several stages.
- An important indicator is the quality of the syrup. The jam syrup should be clean and transparent.
- The syrup should not gel, but should be mobile and easily separated from the cooked berries.
And now about jam - differences from preserves
When making jam, it is not necessary to strive to maintain the original shape of the berries. Often, before cooking, the berry mass is turned in a meat grinder. In order for the pectin contained in the fruits to have a greater gelling effect, the prepared fruits are crushed or, as mentioned above, turned through a meat grinder, or in another way.
- The syrup in the jam should gel well and not spread.
- Jam is always cooked in one step
- Jam is made from fruits containing a large amount of pectin, that is, they gel well
If jam is made from poorly gelling fruits, then juice from fruits and berries that produce good jelly is added. Such fruits and berries include gooseberries, red currants, green varieties of apples, apricots, and quince. Jam, like preserves, is made pasteurized in hermetically sealed jars, or unpasteurized, intended for storage in barrels. After collecting berries or fruits from your garden, decide for yourself what to make jam or preserves.
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