HELP!! liquid jam!!!!

I find it very difficult to estimate when the jam has reached setting point and different fruits seem to take different times.A rolling boil is when the complete contents of the pan seem to be in motion.I then keep this up for a round 20 minutes,I often notice a very slight darkening of the jam as it reaches setting point.
A test is to cool a couple of saucers in the freezer and as it boils every couple of minutes put a small blob of the jam on the freezing saucer and see if it setting,ie does it run is it forming a skin.
It is a very fine line between set jam and hard jam and I prefer it slightly runny to over set as too much boiling affects the flavour.
You can also use something like Serto wich is Pectin to speed up setting or add to the jam some other ingrediant rich in Pectin to help.

LearningToSave. wrote:

help!!!!!!!!!!!
everytime i make jam its ended up liquid/not setting.......i've followed what the recipie says exactly,warmed the jars then poured it straight in and sealed etc but it never sets!!
there was a bit of excess left out in the bottom of the jug though and that hasd set beautifully : -( although i know leaving it out all night isnt right.
please help me get my jam to set.

and can someone just clarify what a rolling boil is please?

A rolling boil is where the jam rises up the sides of the pan and rolls downward towards the middle of the pan. So it looks a bit like a meteor crater.

I always take a teaspoon of the jam and put it onto a white china plate and wait for it to cool and hopefully set. When it sets on the plate, it will set in the jar. I use old jam jars with metal lids washed in hot water then put in the oven at about 150C until they are dry. The jam goes in and about 10 minutes later the lid goes on. This helps to stop the jars cracking when you put the jam in.

What fruit are you using? Certain fruits don't have enough pectin to set, so normally you add fruit that has a lot eg, apple is added to blackberry. You can buy special jam sugar with added pectin.

all i use is equal weight sugar to fruit - usually blackberries as thats what we get from the garden - boil it while i do the ironing ... then seive it!!
bung it in jars - done!

if its runny then it also gets used as a syrup on icecream, hm yoghurt etc ...