Failed Marmalade experiment - Please help

amberinferno · 20 January 2009 at 11:42PM

hello!

been a long time user of the site but don't think i've posted on the forum before... usually a lurker

found this thread while googling for 'marmalade help'!

made my first ever attempt at preserves tonight, following the river cottage recipe for marmalade - it didn't go well...

up to the rolling boil to setting point stage seemed to go fine. then there was a fair bit of smoke, the temperature of the mix didn't seem to go above 100c and then when i decided to go for it, and put it in the jars anyway it turned out the bottom inch of the pan was solid!

i'm thinking reading the above that i didn't dissolve the sugar for long enough before going to the rolling boil stage? it seemed to be dissolved.

any thoughts? i have another bag of sevilles and ingredients and jars to make another attempt but don't want to make the same error.

please help!

Thanks

Penelope_Penguin · 21 January 2009 at 8:09AM

amberinferno wrote: »

up to the rolling boil to setting point stage seemed to go fine. then there was a fair bit of smoke, the temperature of the mix didn't seem to go above 100c and then when i decided to go for it, and put it in the jars anyway it turned out the bottom inch of the pan was solid!

Were you stirring all the way through this

As I said earlier, take a look at the Delia recipe I've posted above. She gives step by step details, and IMHO it's excellent for a beginner

Penny. x

powershopper · 21 January 2009 at 8:45AM

Just a thought, when making marmalade, or any other 'jam' for that matter, it is vital that you COOK THE FRUIT FIRST. (The only exception to this is rasperry, but that's another matter)
I recently had some success with 'frugal marmalade' thus:-
Every time we had a bit of lemon/grapefruit/orange skin/pith/bits left over, we put them in a poly bag in the freezer until there was about a couple of pounds, then dug out a recipe,--WI or River Cottage, or Delia--- pretended that the bits were whole fruit, addad a lemon for good measure and pectin, then just followed the recipe! Result four big jars of Frugal Marmalade!
PS if you have a Slow Cooker to cook the skins----does it brilliantly---citrus skins take a while to soften, so dont rush this part-- as soon as you add the sugar the 'softening 'process stops.
good luck!:j

Debt_Free_Chick · 21 January 2009 at 8:31PM

amberinferno wrote: »

the temperature of the mix didn't seem to go above 100c and then when i decided to go for it, and put it in the jars anyway it turned out the bottom inch of the pan was solid!

Sounds like the wrong type of pan. You need one with a very solid base and excellent conducting qualities. With your pan, it doesn't seem to be a good conductor - the heat has stayed at the bottom, burning the mixture there, but not been conducted throughout the rest of pan, hence the mix didn't go above 100c.

What type of pan was it?

amberinferno · 21 January 2009 at 10:17PM

thanks folks

)

the pan is a proper maslin pan (xmas present, along with the river cottage preserves book), though it doesn't have a lid. i used a baking tray to try to trap some heat...

i was stirring all the time while pouring the sugar in though i stopped when i thought the sugar had dissolved because the book said not to stir through the rolling boil stage - it introduces oxygen, cooling the mix apparently.

the marmalade has set so it looks as though the temperature wasn't much of an indicator of setting point being reached! OH has had fun today cleaning the pan!

Penelope_Penguin · 21 January 2009 at 10:29PM

amberinferno wrote: »

i was stirring all the time while pouring the sugar in though i stopped when i thought the sugar had dissolved because the book said not to stir through the rolling boil stage - it introduces oxygen, cooling the mix apparently.

Is that what the book said

That's nonsense and dangerous IMHO - not stirring a boiling liquid can lead to hot spots, causing it bo boil violently in some places :eek: (known in the trade as bumping). If this happens with boiling sugar you can get badly burned by being splashed with the sugar. You were lucky it was just the pan that's damaged.

Penny. x

floyd · 21 January 2009 at 11:06PM

I always stir my preserves regularly during boiling and you really notice if you leave it too long as it 'spits' when you stir again and as Penny says, very very dangerous.
I'm not sure that any of the methods/recipes I have used say to stir or not stir but I do anyway as I am scared it will stick as it gets reduced

amberinferno · 22 January 2009 at 12:12AM

the books says 'don't stir at this stage - it cools the jam so it would take longer to reach setting point'.

the book recommends using a long handled spoon, which i did, to avoid being splashed. but i'd have thought that was common sense - to avoid being splashed by any boiling liquid...

the pan isn't damaged thankfully so i'll try a different recipe next time.

thanks for your input, i'm heading back to lurking!

foreign_correspondent · 22 January 2009 at 1:32AM

if you want to have a go at making marmalade that is pretty much guaranteed to work "Ma Made" is brilliant (ready prepared oranges or lemons in a big tin) - all the quantities are spot on and it lets you get the hang of the technique wth very little opportunity for anything to go wrong - and it is tasty and cheaper than buying marmalade!

DrDaz · 24 January 2009 at 8:27PM

Thanks for all the replies, I'll be giving Delias recipe ago soon I think.

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Failed Marmalade experiment - Please help

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