Wanna know the difference between jelly and jam?
JamEdit
"Jam" redirects here. For other uses, see
Jam (disambiguation).
"Strawberry jam" redirects here. For the album, see
Strawberry Jam.
Jam typically contains both the juice and flesh of a fruit or vegetable,
[20] although one cookbook defines it as a cooked and jelled puree.
[1] The term "jam" refers to a product made of whole fruit cut into pieces or crushed, then heated with water and sugar to activate its
pectin before being put into containers:
"Jams are usually made from pulp and juice of one fruit, rather than a combination of several fruits. Berries and other small fruits are most frequently used, though larger fruits such as apricots, peaches, or plums cut into small pieces or crushed are also used for jams. Good jam has a soft even consistency without distinct pieces of fruit, a bright color, a good fruit flavor and a semi-jellied texture that is easy to spread but has no free liquid." – Berolzheimer R (ed) et al. (1959)
[notes 1]
Pectin is mainly D-galacturonic acid connected by α (1–4) glycosidic linkages. The side chains of pectin may contain small amounts of other sugars such as L-fructose, D-glucose, D-mannose, and D-xylose. In jams, pectin is what thickens the final product via cross-linking of the large polymer chains.
[21]
Freezer jam is uncooked (or cooked less than 5 minutes), then stored frozen. It is popular in parts of North America for its very fresh taste.
Recipes without added pectin use the natural pectin in the fruit to set. Tart
apples, sour
blackberries,
cranberries, currants,
gooseberries,
Concord grapes, soft
plums, and quinces work well in recipes without added pectin.
[22]
Other fruits, such as apricots, blueberries, cherries, peaches, pineapple, raspberries, rhubarb, and strawberries are low in pectin. In order to set, or gel, they must be combined with one of the higher pectin fruits or used with commercially produced or homemade pectin.
[23][24] Use of added pectin decreases cooking time.
In Canada, fruit jam is categorized into two types: fruit jam and fruit jam with
pectin. Both types contain fruit,
fruit pulp or canned fruit and are boiled with water and a
sweeteningingredient. Both must have 66% water-soluble solids. Fruit jam and fruit jam with pectin may contain a class II
preservative, a pH adjusting agent or an
antifoaming agent. Both types cannot contain apple or
rhubarb fruit.
[25]
Though both types of jam are very similar, there are some differences in fruit percent, added pectin and added
acidity. Fruit jam must have at least 45% fruit and may contain added pectin to compensate for the natural pectin level found in the fruit. Fruit jam with pectin need only contain 27% fruit and is allowed to contain added acidity to compensate for the natural acidity of the fruit.
[25]
JellyEdit
This drawing depicts a pectin molecule. These molecules combine to form the network responsible for making jelly.
In the U.S.,
jelly (from the
French gelée)
[26]refers exclusively to a clear or translucent fruit spread made from sweetened fruit (or vegetable) juice—thus differing from jam by excluding the fruit's flesh—and is set by using its naturally occurring
pectin, whereas outside North America jelly more often refers to a
gelatin-based dessert,
[27][28][29] though the term is also used to refer to clear jams such as blackcurrant and apple. In the United Kingdom,
redcurrant jelly is a condiment often served with lamb, game meat including venison, turkey and goose in a festive or
Sunday roast. It is a clear jam, set with pectin from the fruit, and is made in the same way, by adding the redcurrants to sugar, boiling, and straining.
Pectin is essential to the formation of jelly because it acts as a
gelling agent, meaning when the pectin chains combine, they create a network that results in a gel. The strength and effectiveness of the side chains and the bonds they form depend on the pH of the pectin, the optimal pH is between 2.8–3.2.
[30]
Additional pectin may be added where the original fruit does not supply enough, for example with grapes.
[20] Jelly can be made from sweet, savory or hot ingredients. It is made by a process similar to that used for making jam, with the additional step of filtering out the fruit pulp after the initial heating. A muslin or stockinette "jelly bag" is traditionally used as a filter, suspended by string over a bowl to allow the straining to occur gently under gravity. It is important not to attempt to force the straining process, for example by squeezing the mass of fruit in the muslin, or the clarity of the resulting jelly will be compromised. Jelly can come in a variety of flavors such as grape jelly, strawberry jelly, hot chile pepper, and others. It is typically eaten with a variety of foods. This includes jelly with toast, or a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"Good jelly is clear and sparkling and has a fresh flavor of the fruit from which it is made. It is tender enough to quiver when moved, but holds angles when cut... Pectin is best extracted from the fruit by heat, therefore cook the fruit until soft before straining to obtain the juice ... Pour cooked fruit into a jelly bag which has been wrung out of cold water. Hang up and let drain. When dripping has ceased the bag may be squeezed to remove remaining juice, but this may cause cloudy jelly." –
[31][notes 2]
