In a jam? Here are some tips

Suggestions on making, reheating jellies

Can honey and corn syrup be used instead of sugar when making jelly?

Sugar is a key component when making jelly. It combines with acid and pectin to form a gel. It also provides sweetness and acts as a preservative.

Traditionally, dry sugar is used. For an alternative, honey or corn syrup can be used for part of the dry sugar. Because the sweetness of honey and corn syrup is not equivalent to sugar, it cannot completely replace sugar.

Here are some guidelines to use honey and corn syrup when making jelly:

For No-Added Pectin Jelly:

Corn syrup may replace 1/4 of sugar.
Honey may replace 1/2 of sugar.

For Powdered Pectin-added Jelly:

Corn syrup may replace 1/2 of sugar.
Honey may replace up to 2 cups of sugar.

For Liquid Pectin-added Jelly:

Corn syrup or honey may replace up to 2 cups sugar.

Can jam or jelly be remade if it is too stiff?

Stiff fruit spreads occur from overcooking, using too much pectin, using too little fruit and/or juice, or using too little sugar or underripe fruit without adding pectin. Unfortunately, it is difficult to reformulate these products. So how can they be used? Here are some ideas:

Heat stiff jam or jelly and use as a glaze on meats.
Warm the jam or jelly and use as pancake syrup or an ice cream topping.
Stiff jams or jellies can be thinned with water or fruit juice.

They may or may not form a gel again once they are re-heated because over cooking of pectin can reduce or destroy its ability to form the gel structure. It is best to work with only 2 or 3 half-pint jars at one time. Try four tablespoons of liquid for each 8-ounce jar. Over very low heat, melt the stiff jam or jelly in the added liquid, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Once in solution, raise the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a full boil; stir constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim foam off jelly if necessary. Fill clean, dry containers for refrigerator storage. It is not recommended to reprocess the remade jam or jelly in a canner and store it at room temperature.

Jellies and jams thinned in this manner may or may not actually gel, but are likely to provide a mixture that may spread more easily than the stiff product.

Is there anything that can be used to make cucumber pickles crisp besides lime?

The Alltrista Corp., the makers of Ball and Kerr canning products, have introduced a new pickling product as an alternative to lime for cucumber pickles. The product is called Pickle Crisp. It is calcium chloride. It doesn’t burn like lime and a small amount is simply added to each jar of pickles. The result is a crisp, crunchy pickle without the harsh lime and without the mess. Pickle Crisp can be found in large discount stores, grocery stores and can be purchased online at www.homecanning.com/usa or by calling Alltrista at (800) 392-2575.

I have a recipe for canned pie filling but it calls for Clearjel. I can’t find Clearjel anywhere. What can I substitute for it?

While fresh pie fillings are thickened with a variety of ingredients such as flour, cornstarch and tapioca, canned pie fillings must be thickened with Clearjel. For a quality product, nothing can be used as a substitute. Clearjel holds up to the heat processing and remains thick. It also produces a sparkling clear soft gel.

Finding Clearjel in stores is a challenge. Here are two bulk food stores in Kansas that sell and ship Clearjel:

Glenn’s Bulk Foods, Hutchinson, (620) 662-2875.
The Bulk Food Store, Greensburg, (620) 723-2655.

Other sources outside of Kansas include:

Kitchen Krafts, (800) 776-0575.
Sweet Celebrations, (800) 328-6722.

How much food is in a No. 10 can?

Years ago, some of the ingredients listed on recipes stated the size of a can instead of a cup measurement. This is confusing to consumers today when they are trying to follow a recipe that has been passed down from one generation to another. Here is a list of common can sizes from the past and the number of cups that are in each can: