You all seem to be such proficient chefs. Well here is a place to share some of that cooking knowledge. Or do you have a cooking problem? Ask away. Jams and chutneys go here too.
One of the reasons why I finally decided to de-lurk is because I REALLY need help with my preserving. This year I have had some real disasters with mould appearing on the top of my jams & jellies. Never really had problems with it before so I am a bit stumped.
I sterilize the jars by washing in hot soapy water then drying them in a hot oven. I put the jam/jelly in warm jars & put wax paper circles on straight away. Then when completely cool I put the lids on. I use recycled jars & kilner/le parfait preserving jars but the mould appears to be indiscriminate.
It's so depressing to open a new jar & find it all mouldy..... What am I missing? Please help if you can....
I'm afraid I'm not enough of an expert to tell you if there's anything going wrong in your jam-making process. It sounds exactly like what I do and I haven't had any mould yet. However, if it's just a layer of mould on the top then you can just scrape it off. I think Delia suggested stirring some vinegar through the rest of it, but I'll double-check that when I go downstairs for lunch. I've also heard that you can put it in the microwave after scraping off the mould and it'll be fine afterwards. I don't think there's anything you can do if it's penetrated the whole jar though...
They're not weeds - that's a habitat for wildlife, don't you know?
I put my lids on everything (jam or chutney) when they are hot which then forms an airtight seal when the contents cool down. Some of the jars go pop when that raised bit in the centre of the lid goes down. That doesn't always happen but I've never had anything go mouldy.
Millymollymandy wrote:I put my lids on everything (jam or chutney) when they are hot which then forms an airtight seal when the contents cool down. Some of the jars go pop when that raised bit in the centre of the lid goes down. That doesn't always happen but I've never had anything go mouldy.
and me ... lid straight away to seal and if I am unsure if they have sealed properly I put them in a pan of hot water and then they seal.
I just opened a jar of Strawberry that was made summer solstice 06 and the daughter said yummy... no mould at all ...oh and I dont bother with the wax paper either
So interesting! I used to put the lids on when the stuff was hot (and not bother with the wax paper... but this year I read some article or advice that said you should wait until the jam/jelly was cool because otherwise you would get condensation which would (you've guessed it!) cause mould. I should have stuck with the old system eh?
Seal the jars with pop down lids while still stokeing hot. im betting the mold spores are on your waxpapers - never use it or need it myself. Just boiling hot jam in a preheated clean jar with a lid that you KNOW fits and has the pop-dimple thing in the centre.
Vacume seals as it cools. if it doesnt pop down either the lid doesnt fit propper or the jam and jar weren't hot enough.
Hope that helps!
Jeremy Daniel Meadows. (Jed).
Those who walk in truth and love grow in honour and strength
We make vast amounts of jams, preserves, pickles and chutneys - 40lb of jam alone this year. None are stored in the fridge until they're opened and all last at least a year, with the few stragglers we haven't eaten in that time going on to last 18 months/two years.
The jars have to spotlessly clean as mould spores and bacteria can hide in even small bits of crud and escape being killed. The jars are washed in hot soapy water, rinsed in boiling water, and dried in an oven set to 100C.
The lids are washed in hot soapy water, rinsed in boiling water and then boiled for 10 minutes.
All contents for bottling are bottled when still boiling. All utensils are washed in hot, soapy water, rinsed in boiling water and then boiled for 10 minutes. All cloths used for wiping down have been boiled and then hung to dry away from contamination.
I fill a couple of jars/bottles at a time.
Remove two hot bottles from the oven, place a stainless steel jam funnel in one, and then ladle the contents in using a stainless steel ladle. Any air bubbles are worked out with a stainless steel skewer.
Any smears of the contents are wiped off the neck of the jar (usually none though as I use a jam funnel) with one of the clean cloths.
A hot lid is plucked out of its boiling water bath, placed on the bottle and screwed down hard. (Hold the lid and the bottle with clean cloths to avoid burning your hands.)
Repeat for the second jar. It's very important to check that there's a good seal between lid and jar. If the lid won't seal, discard it and use another lid (it's very useful to have a lot of jars that use the same size lids and to have several spare lids sterilised ready to go.)
Repeat for the rest of the contents, doing two jars at a time.
When the jars have thoroughly cooled, check the lid seals again. The lids should be very tight. If they're the dimple-type lid, the dimple should have popped in (you can hear the snap when this happens). Non-dimple lids should not look flat, they should have a slight inward curve to the middle of the lid.
If you find any bottles/jars that haven't sealed, either store in the fridge and use immediatlely, or remove the lid, find one that fits tightly and reheat the jar and contents in a water bath, then seal again. If using a water bath, place the jar and contents in the water while it's cool and bring to the boil. Once boiling point is reached, keep the jar in the bath for at least 10 minutes before sealing immediately with the sterilised lid.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by Stonehead on Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I have bought supermarket jam that even though kept in the fridge once opened, has gone mouldy on top after 6 months. My jam hasn't done that - even when the tops don't go 'pop'!
As I couldn't make any jam this year, we are still eating jam that was made over a year ago, and I've even got several pots of cucumber & ginger jam that I made about 28 months ago which doesn't have any mould on either!
The only time I've had a mould problem has been when the jam I've made was too much for the amount of jars I'd sterilised so I just bunged in an unsterilised jar and put in the fridge. Well it was to be expected wasn't it, although it didn't go off for a couple of months. These days I always sterlise way more jars that I 'think' I'm going to need, just in case!
Oh and I put just washed pots and lids in a cold oven, turn to 120C and leave in for 1/2 hour after the temp has come up to 120C. Then turn off the heat and leave them in the warm oven until the jam or chutney is ready.
we are still eating 2 year old jam and chutney.. is fine.i steralise with boiling water - fill up the jars to the top, and the lids go in a pan. works for me. still no harm keeping what you can in the fridge..
Red
I like like minded people... a bit like minded anyway.. well people with bits of their minds that are like the bits of my mind that I like...
If it helps this is how I do it and I'm just finishing off last years jams (at my desk as well ). Put the jar and lid into a big pan of water so they're covered and boil them the whole time you're making the jam. As soon as the jam is ready, hoik them out and while they're still very hot, jam goes in, lid goes on. Oven gloves essential.
). Put the jar and lid into a big pan of water so they're covered and boil them the whole time you're making the jam. As soon as the jam is ready, hoik them out and while they're still very hot, jam goes in, lid goes on. Oven gloves essential.