Redoing Jam

June 15, 2024 6:13 PM

I made cherry jam without pectin. Can I heat it back up and add pectin?

I was overtired and trying to make something for a work breakfast potluck after a 12 hour workday, while babysitting a 3 year old*. I decided on cherry jam, forgot I didn't have pectin, forgot the add the apple trick and forgot the last cup of sugar for good measure. I put it in the fridge and it's delicious but it's syrup. Can I reboil it, add the missing sugar, maybe add some lemon to brighten it up a bit, add the pectin and end up with actual jam that is set? I'm not canning it, just making refrigerator jam.

* you do not want to see a 3 year old who has had toast with cherry syrup. It was phenomenal, how far it spread.

posted by mygothlaundry to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Best answer: Totally fine, no harm in heating again and adding pectin, other than a little bit more lost flavor.
posted by ssg at 6:29 PM on June 15 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Yes, I've done it with strawberry jam that didn't set and it worked great.
posted by entropyiswinning at 6:50 PM on June 15 [1 favorite]

I have also successfully reheated and added pectin with distraction jam.
posted by rockindata at 7:50 PM on June 15

I’d go an easier route and add chia seeds to thicken it up. Honestly though, it would be delicious drizzled on pancakes, wafffles, french toast, or plain yogurt, if you want to leave it as is!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 6:57 AM on June 16

Best answer: A heads up re: pectin. After turning my nose up at Certo Lite for many years, I looked it up and discovered, no, it's not full of artificial sweeteners, it's got extra pectin. It relies on that for most of its setting power, so you use less sugar and taste more fruit. I recommend it highly.
posted by kate4914 at 9:22 AM on June 16

Best answer: You don’t even necessarily need pectin (if you haven’t obtained it yet) — David Lebowitz’s non-recipe recipe for cherry jam (which has been my go-to for years) includes the following as the only thickening agent, which has worked fine for me. Cooking it down a bit will also help even with no additions.

“Add the zest and juice of one or two fresh lemons. Lemon juice adds pectin as well as acidity, and will help the jam gel later on.”
posted by sesquipedalia at 9:23 AM on June 16 [1 favorite]

Best answer: All the lemon seeds in a tea ball or a knot of cheesecloth, too, iirc
posted by clew at 10:13 AM on June 16 [1 favorite]

“Add the zest and juice of one or two fresh lemons. Lemon juice adds pectin as well as acidity, and will help the jam gel later on.”

I know this is DL, but this isn't really correct. Lemon juice contains hardly any pectin*. What it does do is lower the pH of the jam, and a lowered pH is necessary for strands of pectin to form a gel.

*Pectin in citrus fruit is in the pith, seeds and pulp. Though citrus seeds contain pectin, they also contain citrin, an allergen than can cause reactions in persons allergic to cashews and pistachios.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:35 PM on June 17