Redcurrant Jelly problem

[Chantal]

I tried to make some redcurrant jelly yesterday and could NOT get it to set. I used 6lb of currants with 12oz of jam sugar per lb, strained it, boiled it etc and then added some pectin, and some more pectin, and some more pectin, and some... ad nauseum. By the time I'd gone through over SEVEN bottles of certo and TWO lemons I'd had enough and as it was starting to taste of something other than redcurrants, threw it down the plughole.

Before I start on the freezerful of redcurrants, can anyone tell me what I did wrong?

[Chez]

Hello Chantal

Not completely sure what went wrong for you, but one thing I notice is the fruit:sugar ratio you use is identical to what I do, but with the resulting juice, not the fruit. So where you use the equivalent of 3 cups of sugar to 4 cups of fruit I use 3 cups sugar to 4 cups of strained juice. The other difference is I have never added pectin or lemon juice, as redcurrant jelly sets so quickly (about 20 mins), without it. I also use plain old granulated sugar, not jam sugar. Does too much pectin cause setting problems, I wonder?

[Chantal]

Hi Chez, sorry, I did in fact use the sugar to the strained fruit ratio, not the weight of the unstrained fruit, so it's the same as you.

I did wonder about the fact that I did so much. I made two batches of blackcurrant jelly of 2kg each which set with the additional of a very little pectin. The third batch of 3kg was a bloody nightmare and took 1.5 bottles of certo and a lemon. Could it be the quantity in the pan?

[Chez]

The quantity shouldn't matter, as long as the ratios remain the same. I used 10lb of redcurrants in my first batch of jelly this year and it was just fine. In fact, it is the most perfect jelly I make for consistency, clarity and the right amount of 'wobbliness'. Just never seems to go wrong for me.

If its any consolation, today I made blackcurrant jelly for the first time ever, using the same recipe as for redcurrants. And it has set too hard! Tastes great, but is a bit difficult to spread evenly on bread. Obviously I let it go a tad too long. And I do think blackcurrants seem to set faster than any other fruit. Might try some more in the weekend.

[Tigger]

Could it have been affected by the humidity?

[Jenny Green]

I think the answer is in the length of time spent boiling. The larger the load, the longer it'll take for the mixture to reach setting point.
I made a batch of blackcurrant jelly last year. I have a huge stockpot and I put loads in (sorry can't remember amounts though). It took ages to set, but it did set in the end.

[John]

Hello Chantal
How did you determine your setting point? Jellies are much trickier to get right than jams and you really do need a jam thermometer to find out what's going on as you boil your mixture away. Try to get the mixture to a rolling boil at 105°C and you should be OK. If the mixture is boiling below this temp. then you need to keep boiling to remove more water. If it is boiling above this then there is too little water in the mixture. If you need to add water at this stage (most unlikely) allow the mixture to cool down first.
Pectin and acidity need to right as well but the sugar/water balance is the most important.

John

[Carole B.]

I had a batch last year which didn't appear to have set,so I thought I would put it in jars anyway and use as a sauce but it had set in the jars by the next morning so it can be decieving.

[Chantal]

Interesting comments guys, thank you.

I had the stuff on a rolling boil and dripped some onto a plate which went in the fridge. Once it was cold, no wrinkles or skin, in fact it ran off the plate when I turned it on end.

Having struggled from 5am until 9pm with the poxy stuff which was still liquid, I left it overnight in case it might be able to set, and it was absolutely no different in the morning. Seedling came round early and I asked her to taste it as I'd lost sight of what it SHOULD taste like. She said it wasn't right anymore so I binned it.

I'm going to to have another go using:

A jam thermometer (will buy one today)
Ordinary sugar
Smaller quantity

I'll let you all know if it works.

Thanks again