JELLY MAKING consists in cooking fruit juice with sugar until, upon cooling, it will solidify, or jell. While this is not a difficult nor a complicated process, there are some housewives who do not have success with it.
Often the result may be very good when a certain fruit is used, whereas it may be entirely unsatisfactory at another time, even though the same fruit is used and practically the same procedure is followed.
If the best results are to be assured in jelly making, the principles that are involved in this process must first be thoroughly understood and then the correct procedure must be painstakingly followed out.
To solidify properly and thus become a desirable jelly, the fruit juice that is used for this purpose must have the following characteristics and treatment:
1) it must contain certain jelly-making properties;
2) it must be extracted properly;
3) it must be combined with the correct proportion of sugar; and
4) it must be cooked the proper length of time.
There are, of course, numerous degrees of solidity of jelly, varying from that which will barely retain its shape to that which is very tough and hard, but neither extreme is desirable. To be right, the jelly should be firm enough to stand up well, but should be tender and soft when a spoon is cut into it.
Fruit is the principal ingredient in the making of jelly, as it is the source from which the juice is obtained. Such imperfections in fruits as poor shape or unattractive appearance do not count in this matter, since only the juice is used; but they must contain jelly-making properties in order that jelly can be made from them.
Green or slightly unripe fruits are better for jelly making than fruits that have become ripe. In fact, when in this immature state, fruits may be used to make jelly, whereas the same fruits, when perfectly ripe, often will not make jelly at all, or, if they do, will produce a jelly that is inferior in quality.
The chief requirement of fruits that are to be used for jelly making is that they contain acid and pectin. Pectin is the real jelly-making property of fruits. When it is in the presence of acid and combined with the correct proportion of sugar and the combination is properly boiled, a desirable jelly is the result.
Without pectin, however, it is impossible to make the juice solidify, or jell. Pectin is closely related to the carbohydrates, but as it does not yield heat energy nor build tissue, its food value is not considered. In this respect, it is like the cellulose of fruits and vegetables.
It is because green fruits contain more pectin than do ripe fruits that they are more suitable for jelly making. The lack of either acid or pectin need not, however, prevent the making of jelly from fruits, such as sweet fruits, that contain other jelly-making properties, for either or both may be supplied from some other source. In other words, jelly may be made from any fruit that will yield juice and flavor.
EQUIPMENT FOR JELLY MAKING
In the making of jelly, as in the preparation of many other foods, numerous utensils will be found convenient and may, if desired, be supplied to make the work easier. However, the necessary ones are comparatively few in number and, for the most part, are found in almost every kitchen.
KETTLES –As will be observed, two kettles are required in jelly making. The larger one is used for cooking the fruit, and the smaller one, to cook the juice and the sugar. These should have a perfectly smooth surface, and may be made of almost any material used for such utensils, except tin or iron.
These two metals are undesirable, as they are liable to lend to the jelly a disagreeable flavor and in all probability an unattractive color. The one used to cook the fruit should generally be a little larger than the other. As about 6 glassfuls of jelly may be cooked at one time, the kettle in which the juice is boiled should be of adequate size to cook this amount without danger of its boiling over.
When fruit juice and sugar are boiled together, the mixture often boils up and runs over if the vessel is not large enough.
JELLY BAG.–The jelly bag, which is used for straining the boiled fruit and thus obtaining the juice, may be a home-made one or, as shown in the illustration, one that is purchased for the purpose.
If the bag is made at home, a heavy, closely woven material, such as flannel, should be selected, so as to prevent the tiny particles of fruit from passing through with the juice. A liquid strained in this manner will be much clearer and will make better looking jelly than that which has been run through a coarse material, such as cheesecloth.
The juice can be strained very conveniently if the bag is attached to a wire arrangement or to an upright standard that can be fastened to a chair or a table, for then the bag is held securely over the vessel intowhich the juice drips. Sometimes, especially when more than one extraction of the juice is to be made, the first extraction is made by means of a strainer or a colander and the juice thus obtained is then strained through the bag.
ADDITIONAL UTENSILS.– As accurate measurements are absolutely essential in jelly making, a measuring cup should be included in the equipment. Then, too, a quart measure will be found very convenient, especially if large quantities of materials are to be cooked at one time. A large spoon or two for stirring, skimming, and testing should also be provided. The spoon used for skimming will produce better results if the bowl contains holes that will permit the juice to drop back into the vessel, for then none of the juice will be wasted.
CONTAINERS FOR JELLY.–Various types of receptacles in which to keep jelly are in use, some turning out more attractive molds than others. The shape of the mold, however, is a matter of minor importance. Almost any wide-mouthed glass receptacle with comparatively smooth sides will do very well, since the sealing of jelly is not a difficult thing to do
Therefore, new receptacles should not be purchased if there is a supply of any suitable kind on hand, for many other containers besides purchased jelly glasses may be used for this purpose. The best ones should be somewhat broad and not very tall. A mold of jelly turned from a tall, narrow glass does not stand up so well as that turned from a flat, wide one. Then, too, a tall glass is much more likely to tip and spill than a more shallow one.
Metal covers that fit the tops of the glasses are the most convenient kind that can be used, but they are not an absolute necessity. In their place may be used paper caps that fit the glasses, or the tops of the glasses may be covered with paper and then tied.
To designate the kind of jelly, it is advisable to label the glasses with neat labels, a box of which is included in the equipment here shown.
Paraffin-covered paper cups have been recommended to take the place of jelly glasses, and while they do very well in the case of scarcity of containers they have some disadvantages. In the first place, they can be used only once, as it is impossible to wash them. In addition, it will be necessary to wait until the jelly is partly cold before pouring it into such cups, as hot jelly will melt the paraffin on the surface of the paper.