Strawberries and Spring!

Happy Spring Eve!

We’re continuing with another post on one of my favorite spring fruits. This week, I’m sharing a simple recipe for strawberry jam. To learn more about spring fruits, check out last week’s post.

Strawberry Jam Recipe

Yields: 1 cup

• 8-ounce strawberries
• 8-ounce sugar
• 1 teaspoon pectin powder
• ½ ounce fresh lemon juice

Kitchen Equipment

• Measuring cups/spoons for mise en place ingredients
• Food scale
• Colander
• Cutting board
• Paring knife
• Glass juicer
• Airtight container
• Saucepot
• Wooden spoon
• Glass jar with lid

Cooking Instructions

1. Sanitize kitchen (sink, countertops, stovetop/oven, cupboard handles, phone, computer).
2. Wash and cut strawberries into quarters.
3. Wash and cut lemons in halves.
4. Use a glass juicer to squeeze lemon juice.
5. Mise en place ingredients.
6. Mix the strawberries with sugar.
7. Refrigerate overnight.
8. Add the sugared fruit to a pot.
9. Bring it to a simmer on a stovetop.
10. Cook until it is at a puréed consistency.
11. Remove from the heat.
12. Sprinkle the pectin powder over the fruit and stir.
13. Resume heat the pot.
14. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
15. Add the lemon juice and mix in.
16. Pour into clean glass jars and seal.
17. Refrigerate.

Difference Between Pectin & Gelatin

I thought pectin was the same as gelatin before making this dish for a culinary school assignment. They’re both thickening agents. Further, I thought I could substitute pectin for gelatin and vice versa. Nope!

Pectin is attained from citrus fruit peels (Palmer Holland, 2022). On the other hand, gelatin is derived from animal collagen (Palmer Holland, 2022). The collagen is extracted from pigs’ and cows’ skin, bones, and connective tissues (McCauley, 2023).

There are two types of pectin: powdered and liquid. Both contain the same ingredients. However, they’re not interchangeable because they require different cooking processes. For instance, adding powdered pectin toward the end of cooking causes lumps. In contrast, liquid pectin will thicken immediately. Therefore, it’s added to the cooked fruit and sugar mixture once at a simmer and then boiled for one minute to ensure it evenly spreads (McCauley, 2023).

Uses for Pectin

• To thicken foods in cooking and baking. For example, it’s commonly used for jam and jelly making.
• It’s added to frozen foods because it reduces the growth rate of crystals and syrup loss. In addition, it balances the freeze-thaw effects of whole fruit and pieces and can improve the quality of frozen fruit desserts.
• Certain medicines are made with pectin.

Uses for Gelatin

• Thickens liquids and is often added to soups, broths, and sauces.
• To make gummy candies and marshmallows.
• It’s added to cosmetic products to thicken the product.
• Specific medications are made with gelatin.

Top Seven Jamz 

The possibilities of jam-making are endless.

Here are my top seven favorite jams (in order).

1. Strawberry 
2. Grape
3. Blueberry 
4. Mixed Berry
5. Raspberry 
6. Lilikoi
7. Apple 

We jammin’!

FS x

References

McCauley, C. (2023). Pectin vs gelatin- Creation & uses in cooking. Retrieved from: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/4392/pectin-vs-gelatin.html

Palmer Holland (2022). Pectin vs gelatin: What’s the difference. Retrieved from: https://www.palmerholland.com/in-the-news/Pectin-Vs-Gelatin-Differences