How can I “repair” too runny/too solid homemade jam/jelly?
It’s very definitely jam season at the moment (in the UK at least) and I thought it might be fun to hear people’s favourite fixes for sticky situations (ho ho!) when the preserves don’t come out quite as you’d hoped.
How do you test for the set point? The most common method seems to be the “when it wrinkles on a cold plate” test but anyone use any other methods?
What do you do if it’s too runny once in jars? Or too solid?
And, not quite in the question but related, do you use/reuse anything interesting instead of commercial-bought pectin?
And any tips for reusing old jars? Reusable alternatives for waxed discs?
Finally, what do you do with jam that can’t be saved – stuff that burnt in the pan for example?
(“Why is this on Recycle This?” I hear you ask because it is a little tenuous as a “repair”. Well, one, because with the giant piles of fruit in our kitchen at the moment, I’ve got jam on my mind. And two, because jam failures may lead to food waste – and if we can save some rescueable jam from going in the bin, that’s a good thing.)
i made blackberry jelly and after the jars cooled, I tilted the jars and saw that it was too runny. So I followed instructions to thicken it and reprocessed it. However I added too much pectin and now the jelly is too thick. I would like to know if I could add juice to the jelly and reprocess again?
made mine too thick also would love to know how to thin it down
Is there an answer to this question?
Over boiled marmalade and it was close to toffee. Emptied all the jars back into the jam pan (placed them in a pan of hot water to loosen first) and added 200ml boiling water. Slowly dissolved and did the setting test with the plate in the freezer. Still a bit sticky so added another 100ml and stirred thoroughly. Marmalade saved :)
my fig jam wont set,is there anything I can do please?There is not a lot of liquid..beryl
I did the same thing, going to try your fix and see if it works. I’ll let you know if it works for me too.
Hello Lynne,
this is the first back during the last 4 years to have gone absolutely solid with me…….
I have 13 jars of the size of Bonne Maman size (about 300ml) – how much water do you think I should add please.
Thank you for your help.
Caroline
wiggywigdor@hotmail.com
Hello Lynne,
That was a typo – I meant to type batch of marmalade
Hi Lynne, My Maramalade Is more like caramel than jam too and I came across your comments from 2015. I was just wondering do you mean you reheated your pan with the marmalade in a pan of boiling water like Bain Marie? So the marmalade doesn’t come to the boil? Hope to hear back from you. Thanks
Thank you, I’m going to try it.
Just over cooked my 2nd batch of marmalade, so thick wouldn’t spread, so decantered and chopped up more in pan, added boiling water and did 2 tests after bribgibg back to boil, looks like it will work. Now it’s a wait and see.
Thank you Lynne
We have buckets full of limes here in sub-tropical NSW (Byron Bay, Australia) at present, and I spent ages carefully shredding skin and cutting them up to make lime and ginger marmalade. I started to panic when it seemed the mix wasn’t going to set (despite cooking with a muslin bag full of pith and pips) so add store-bought pectin. That ruined the batch, won’t even pour out of the jar. I thought all was lost. But now I’m going to follow your tip. Thanks for posting.
This works. My small batch tomatillo jam had solidified in the fridge. I brought it to room temp, poured a little hot water in jars to loosen, then scraped into pan. Added maybe a cup of water and let it boil med heat to just under 220 f. Poured into jar and left in fridge overnight. This morning I have perfect tomatillo jalapeño jam. I will use a thermometer from now on.
I have just tried to make marmalade with 3 Kg’s of oranges, a very large grapefruit and a lemon. Interpreted instructions, did not find any pips etc, 5kg of sugar but still very runny. What can I do now please?
I usually start my marmalade with simple syrup by juicing fruit and measuring. Equal parts liquids to sugar then low simmer ans reduce liquid volume. After reaching desired reduction in volume , I add cut up rinds and continue to simmer until they are translucent.
For other types of jellies or jams that turn out too thin and runny, I reheat and rescue with a box of jello or you can add pectin purchased from canning supplies section of your grocery store.
Help?I am making Seville marmalade but have simmered the liquid on too high a heat and all the liquid has boiled away so I am just left with rind. I have not added sugar yet. What can I do to salvage it? Can I just add more water and simmer again?
Yes just make up to the amount you should have left. 3 pints boil then add the suger. Did the same thing myself it seems to have worked
My fig jam has crystalized and would like some ideas how to fix. I have 6 jars already bottled.
my mom made some guava jelly but it turned out to be hard but it did taste good I hope that either me or my mom get through into fixing it
Maybe use it for cheese boards, like a quince paste?
My guava jelly is almost to the point that I could make Turkish delight out of it but I want guava jelly. I put no added pectin or lemon juice in it either. No one seems to reply about too firm jelly. Only to soft. Why is that?
hi did you use guava with pips and all, perhaps it was the pips should find out if guava pips have pectin if so there’s your answer, I don’t don’t have an answer as I too have firm marmalade..am going to try to add more water
cheerio
My quava jelly has the same problem. Cooked a little to long. I’ve made it before and was perfect. I’d loved to know if it will set if I re heat and add some water.
My strawberry jam is too runny. I made it this morning and followed instructions (saucer in freezer for the test etc). I have 5 300ml jars waiting to fixed! Can you help me?
Hi Libby
That one is easy. Pour them all back in the pan and boil up again until it gets thicker and the colour will go darker too. Then re-bottle them. I’ve done that myself before, especially with strawberries. Good luck!
Would this also work for peach jam?
I made Muhlberry jelly with strawberry jello and added pectin as the recipe called for. I reheated it and added more pectin, still runny. What else can I do to thicken the jelly. I made another batch without the jello and it turned out fine.
how do. I fix Runney jam. Please
If jam fails to ‘set’, you can rescue it. You need gelatin. So reheating in your maslin/jam pan. I had 4 litres of blackcurrant that hadn’t set, I used ‘Dr Oetker’ dry gelatin. You get three sachets per package, each sachet sets one pint of jelly/jello. I used all three, by dissolving dried gelatin into one ladle of heated jam in a pyrex jug. Mixing well into the whole heated unset batch. I washed and re-sterilized jars and lids. I had only one package of dried gelatin, meant to set three pints of liquid. As my jam was already syrupy my thought was it should at least firm it up. It did, not solid like a wobbly jelly but enough to look like I hadn’t messed up big time ! (At my own expense) So yey ! Good luck all x
I had a batch of Crabapple Jelly that didn’t set. i put it back in the pot with 1/ 1/2 cups more of juice just to use up the leftover juice I had & an extra cup of sugar & some lemon jiuce. After it boiled, I added another pouch of pectin. Well, this one was starting to set last night, but this afternoon I’m right back where I started from with runny jelly. I was thinking of giving the jars of jelly another hot water bath for 15 to 30 minutes to see if that would do the trick. Would that work? I really don’t want to start over again & it already has 2 pouches of pectin in it already. Adding more pectin doesn’t seem a good idea to me. Is there anything that can be done or do I have 8 jars of syrup?
Crab apple jelly should not need pectin! I make jelly and use it as a pectin source for other jams (rhubarb and raspberry). The pectin is in the peel and pips, did you boil with everything in?
I just made some crab apple jelly and it didn’t set. I used sugar and splenda and a 1/2 package of no sugar pectin. I cooked it for the amount of time in the recipe but it still didnt set. Maybe I didnt cook it to a hot enough temperature as I made about 14 1/2 pints. I am going to try reheating it to a higher tempurature and add the rest of the pack of pectin.
My damson jam is still not set how do I get it to reset, after its put in jars
Hi there, I have made several batches. The first with ordinary sugar and lemon juice was too runny but l have left it.
The second batch with jam sugar. That set fine.
The third unset batch (using jam sugar) boiled up again and addes a sachet of pectin. It set but a bit too much for my liking. It seems to be trial and error. Good luck.
Help my strawberry jam has very strong lemon taste.
Recipe used 400 gms strawberries had to use zest and juice of one large lemon.
The recipe i use is 1 kilo strawberries to 750 grams sugar and 30 ml lemon juice works well, no grated rind as you will end up with bits of it through your jam.
The lemon juice is what sets your jam.
my Loganberry jam has set solid in the jars, is there any way of softening it again?
I didn’t get any other suggestions so I reheated it (quite a struggle to get it out of the jars!) & added some hot water then as soon as it was boiling I put it back into clean jars. It seems to have worked as its now a much softer consistency.
How much water did you add?
so did it work and did you water bath seal or just use heat of jam to seal. made alot in one night and tested next day on my so super thick never happened before. really want to fix this .
My blackberry jam set up in the sealed jars 23 -8oz jars like a blackberry candy
I need to thin it out and recan it. Somebody said 1/4 liquid per 8 oz jar. Does
That sound about right.
Imade jalapeno red pepper jelly and the 3rd batch didnt set {its runny} and its already in the jars HELP
Is there anybody that can help me?
I made some plum jam last year, but it didn’t set, it is still sealed in the jars is there any way I can redo it so I don’t have to throw it away, there is a lot???
thank you for any help.
Margaret.
I have made some blackberry and apple jam with the wrong sugar(sugar with pectin in it} I should have used granulated sugar and the jam is solid. how can I put it right please. Do I boil it again and put more sugar or should I add water? Please contact me by gillytoots@hotmail.co.uk. Thank you
With crab apples, quinces and other high pectin fruit I don’t wait for the wrinkle test – eg, frozen saucers, jelly on saucers, does it wrinkle after 5 minutes. Usually the set is better if you just take a flyer.
My problem is slightly different – I ran out of jars while doing quince jelly so I have a set jelly in a pan which I need to get liquid again. I’m adding more lemon juice, a tad more (boiling water) and seeing how it goes.
My jelly is solid… Help! Last night was my first attempt at making jelly and I chose Apple since was already making applesauce. I had way less juice than the recipe called for ( 1/5 the amount) so I cut the whole recipe by the same amount, but I added a little extra pectin since some stuck to the measuring spoon (this may have been my problem.) The instructions I followed said to rapid boil for 45 mins but at only 25 mins it was clearly done and when I put it on a frozen spoon it seemed to harden rather than jell. I only had enough for one half pint jar and this morning I opened it and it is rock solid. Can it be salvaged? Maybe put the jar in boiling water and if it melts put it in a pan and add some apple juice? Please help. I know it’s only one little jar but I was so excited to make it. Thank you
I am having a problem with Peach Preserves. They are very watery. I think it is the type of peaches. I pick my own @ an orchard that is just so wonderful. These are Elberta’s. I use a method that is just so wonderful. Please help.
My crabapple jelly is way too thick. Didn’t use pectin, just sugar. Any ideas on how to make it jellyfish again?
I meant jellyish
Solid jam
Have made marmalade for years following instructions on Mamade tin but adding rind of 1 lemon and 1 orange to add more flavour. Perfect. Decided 4lb of sugar was too much so reduced sugar by half, added rinds plus juices of both fruits. very runny marmalade. Realised that should probably have reduced stated recipe water content and added fruit juices to make up the required amount stated in recipe. what can i do to rectify and thicken my batch of marmalade?
Please help! I used a lot of raspberries to get 4 C of juice. Then I cooked it, using a recipe from Pomona’s book, using their pectin and calcium water. I think I boiled it too long, and it came out really thick and only filled 2 8-ounce jelly jars, and about half of a third. I was supposed to get 4 to 5 jars. I think I know what I did wrong, but I don’t have the money or time or even an open store, so I need help salvaging what I have. Please help me!
Hi,
My Orange marmalade is solid. By mistake, I put in 2 pints (U.K.)water instead of 2 litres (U.K.) water . I used 1kg. Seville oranges.
What should I do?
Your truly,
Joan Damerell
Hello Joan
I’ve got a similar problem with a Delia recipe which with 3 to 4 hours of simmering means it is easy to miss the set point. My solution is briefly reboil with the addition of some old non-set marmalade but that won’t do for you.
Short answer – marmalade back in pan, add missing water, boil briefly, into jars as your normal procedure. Longer answer – put solid marmalade jars into saucepan, surround with water, bring up towards boiling till marmalade will come out of jars (grandma and egg sucking point comihg up) using oven gloves for handling jars & getting marmalade into jam pan. Add the 1.5 pints of missing water to the pan. Gently heat to boiling, let boil for a couple of mnutes, remove from heat and follow your normal jar filling procedure.
If in your recipe the water content reduced substantially during cooking it is probably sensible to reduce the 1.5 pints by the same percentage as it is only going to be boiling for that couple of minutes.
Good luck
Phil
When I had a bunch of jam not set up, we used it for syrup on pancakes and waffles. Was great!
I add a little lemon juice to most fruit when I make jam; it helps the setting. If the jam looks as though its still going to be too thin I stir in a small amount of psyllium husk in the last several minutes to thicken it. While hot it will still be thin, but thickens as it cools. Just don’t add too much or you get a gluggy jelly-like mass.Experiment a time or two and you’ll soon get to know about how much to add to a batch.
If jam is still too thin I use it in old-fashioned steam puddings where you place jam in the bowl before adding the pudding mixture; add some to fruit salads, or just use it anyway on toast and lick the excess off my fingers when it runs off the toast. If jam is too thick I sometimes add extra water and reboil it for a few minutes, otherwise just cut it thinly like cheese and add to bread or toast anyway. If it has overcooked and started to go like toffee it sometimes becomes too bitter to enjoy any way at all and we put it in the chooks (hens) food bowl They will clean it up so it’s not completely wasted.
I made berry jam and made a mistake on the amount of fruit and the jam is too thick and doesn’t taste right – it has too much sugar and pectin. How can I fix this? Can I cook more fruit and put the canned jam back in the fruit and recan it? I hate to lose 10 jars of jam.
I just had the same problem and despite what the « experts » say, I was determined to fix this and the good news is that it’s possible. Depending on how over thick your jam is experiment with smal’ Amour y and add frozen berries directly to pan after heating and liquefying the too see j’ai. Keep on medium heat until combined (5-10 mins) then bring to boil to 220 F and then cool. Re-sterilize jars and then fil as usual leave overnight and it should work. I would add that once opened stor Jan in fridge for longer term storage.
When I made Strawberry jam, I boiled it as directed til thick,I even added liquid pectin. It looked and tasted great. After pouring it into jars, I waterbathed them as directed. After they cooled they became runny. What did I do wrong? Can I fix this? The leftover jelly that was not waterbathed is perfect.
Hi Susan did you ever fix this? I have the same problem! Waterbathed jelly is runny, the stuff I didn’t waterbath is perfect! See my comment from today x
Hi, I’ve made a batch of rosemary jelly, Set is good but I want to add some colour. Can I put the whole lot back in a pan , re-heat add colour and then bottle them again? Worried that I’ll have a ‘skin’ floating in the jars.
Thanks
i have found on several occasions that bought jams or marmelade from time to time need repair , sometimes they go mouldy and have this smell(fermentation)
Take out all this grey mould, then simply place the tin on the centre of the hot plate spiral & switch on to medium to low heat then allow to boil in the tin for about a minute then set aside to cool . when cool take a sniff in there, the jam is set better than before, the smell (being alcohol from fermentation) has evaporated and the whole show is brand new…. love Neale , sunny south africa.
I boiled my crab apples as normal with sugar but had to stop halfway through. The following day it was all lumpy and boiling did not seem to get rid of the lumps. Any suggestions?
Hi guys,
So I made a chilli jam. A recipe I followed stated 4 cups of sugar. I only used 3 as I’m English and I don’t use cups so didn’t realise how much that actuslly was! Jam was perfect but a little over sweet. I put into jars and left over night. It’s now a solid toffee consistency that I nearly bent my spoon into……So do I stick back in a pan and add more water to loosen it up? Is the aim to.disolve more of the sugar?
Thanks
I’ve just made chilli jam, I used Home made pectin and a little too much, I think, as it’s gone solid! I added more vinegar and heated it, then jarred it up but it’s solid again! As it’s not a sweet jam, I don’t think water will do it
Hi, I made Guava jelly with 1.250kg guava, 1.500 litre of water & 1kg sugar with 2 tblspn of lemon juice.
It turned out well but next day when I doubled the quantity to make more it became very sticky so I re boiled it now it has become very stick.
Pls tell me how to fix it.
Thanks a lot.
Ps:- I will be great full & appreciate a lot if you can reply thru email.
Pass:- I mean my second batch didn’t turned out well.
First batch was great.
YK.
As Susan Sergent said back in 2017. I have the same problem!
I made a beautiful elderflower & Vanilla jelly, the set was good on the set test so I Jarred & waterbathed it.
I used jam sugar, lemon juice and added liquid pectin at the end as the recipe directed.
Apart for the last bit that didn’t make a full jar (didn’t bother to waterbath this as I will use it straight away and keep in the fridge).
The half full jar set beautifully and is absorbed perfect 👌🏻
The jars that I waterbathed are liquid 😢.
I understand that to store on a shelf (as these are supposed to be for sale), the jars must be water bathed (ie pasteurised) to prevent mould.
Am I correct? If boiling hot jam goes into boiling hot sterilised jars & is lidded straight away & turned upside down would that be ok to shelf store or not?
And how can I fix this Jelly? The flavours are so delicate I’m concerned about over cooking and loosing the flavour!
Thank you in advance.
Hello, I have overset some grape jelly. I now want to make more and re-process the three jars I have in with the new batch. I’m hoping this will mean the resulting larger batch will be about right. Am I right? Obviously I will be adding more sugar and the rest of my bottle of pectin. Will it work?
I was wondering if I could add a bit of apple juice to it to keep the “apple” taste???
When my second batch of strawberry jam in their pots had cooled it was terribly thick and could only be got out with a large spoon and a strong hand.
So this is what I did. (a week after the jam was made):
**Change the quantities according to your needs:**
1. Put a bowl on the scales and empty all the jam into it to weigh it.
Mine came to exactly 1.5 kg = 3.3 lbs.
2. Wash the jars and lids thoroughly in hot water and let them stand filled with hot water.
3. Boil some water and pour 3 dl.= 10 US fluid ounces / 10 UK fluid ounces into your jam pan ((NOTE: one dl = one tenth of a litre) , and add the thick jam to it. (Depending on the thickness of the jam, use slightly less or slightly more water. )
4. Turn on the stove to a high setting. Stir well and break up the hard jam with a spatula into smaller and smaller parts until it looks “separated”. Keep stirring until it all boils.
5. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often whilst you dry the jars and get them ready for refilling.
6. Do the cold plate test often, dabbing some jam onto a plate, cooling it by blowing and pushing it with a fingernail to see if the surface crinkles.
7. As soon as this is the case, refill the jars and allow to cool.
I found that I had almost the same quantity as before, but it is now the normal consistency.
Hi I’ve just made a batch of BlackBerry jelly and put in to sterile jars however it’s still runny any ideas as what I can do as this is my first attempt and don’t want to waste it