Tips for Testing Jam

When you are making jam recipes that do not call for pectin you may want test the product out to make sure that it is set prior to filling your jars. Testing your jam will help you to avoid opening your jar of jam later, just to find that it is not thick enough. There are a few tests that you can use in order to do this; these include the temperature, refrigerator, and wooden spoon tests.

When using the temperature test you will need a candy or jam thermometer. You will want to boil your mixture until it reaches 108° C. Please refer to your recipe for variations of temperature that may be required at different altitudes.

The refrigerator test is an easy way to see if your mixture has reached the desired consistency and doesn’t require you to know your altitude. To use this method you will need a cold plate, so if you plan to do this test, you will want to chill a small plate ahead of time. Simply place a little bit of the boiling mixture on the cold plate and then place the plate into the freezer for approximately three minutes. After the three minutes, examine the mixture. If it has gelled then you are ready to move onto the next step of the process, which is jarring your jam!

The wooden spoon test is simpler still: take a wooden spoon and dip it into your mixture. Wait for a couple of seconds and then let the mixture drip off of the spoon. If the mixture clumps then your jam has set!