Setting point

Getting jam to set can seem tricky but usually you will only have problems if you haven’t cooked the preserve for long enough or haven’t added enough sugar. There are a few simple ways of testing the setting point. First, the good old-fashioned plate-inthe-freezer test. Place a ceramic saucer in the freezer overnight and the next day, when you want to test for setting point, place a teaspoonful of the jam on the frozen plate and run your index finger through it to see if it holds and has created a “skin”. If it has, then you’re good to go.

The other way, which is a little more efficient, is by using a sugar thermometer and taking the boiling jam to 105°C. This is the setting point. Sometimes if I know the fruit is extremely high in pectin I may take it a little lower. For example, green gooseberries will set at 90°C, but generally speaking, 105°C is the rule. If you find that you haven’t cooked your jam long enough and it hasn’t set properly, then recook it back into another fresh batch of jam. Be warned, though, it may end up tasting like caramelised sugar