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Strawberry is a special berry, a symbol of pleasure and luxury. It is rightfully considered the best berry in existence. And of course, strawberry jam is one of the most delicious. The only problem is that during normal cooking the jam turns out to be very liquid. Therefore, a special preparation technology is used for strawberry jam.
Which strawberries to choose for jam
For a tasty and beautiful result, you will need to choose the right strawberries:
- They should be approximately the same size;
- You should not take very large strawberries, they will lose their shape when cooked, turning into porridge;
- Small ones are also not suitable; after heat treatment they become hard;
- A prerequisite is the absence of spoilage on strawberries;
- Overripe strawberries will not hold their shape, and underripe ones will have neither taste nor smell.
Preparing strawberries
Before starting preparation, the raw materials must be carefully prepared:
- Select strawberries suitable for jam. You need to tear off the sepals after washing to avoid water getting inside.
- Carefully rinse the raw materials: there may be particles of soil on the berries, so it is better to put them in a large container of water.
- Place the strawberries in a colander to drain all the water.
Three options for thick strawberry jam
There are many recipes for making thick strawberry jam, but the cooking principles are not very different. Although one of the following methods involves modern technology.
Strawberry jam No. 1
To prepare, you will need sugar and strawberries. Moreover, the sugar should be half the weight. For example, consider the proportion of 1.5 kg of granulated sugar per 3 kg of strawberries.
Cooking method:
- The ingredients are mixed into the cooking vessel and forgotten about for several hours;
- Then you need to remove most of the juice, you don’t need to drain it completely;
- The juice can be used as desired, it will no longer be needed here;
- Add 500 gr to the berries. Sahara;
- Leave alone for another couple of hours;
- Afterwards, bring the strawberries to a boil, remove any foam that appears;
- Keep on low heat for 1 hour;
- Roll hot jam into sterile jars.
Strawberry jam No. 2
Granulated sugar and strawberries in equal proportions by weight. At the end of cooking you will need a pinch of citric acid.
Cooking method:
- Combine the ingredients in a container suitable for cooking and leave for a while until the juice releases;
- Put on fire, wait until it boils;
- Keep the strawberry jam on the fire for 5 minutes, constantly removing any foam that appears;
- Turn off the heat and remove the dishes from the stove;
- Leave the jam covered with a clean cloth until it cools, preferably 12 hours;
- Then repeat the cooking and cooling procedure 3 to 5 times;
- The thickness of the strawberry jam in this recipe directly depends on the number of repetitions;
- Add citric acid to the finished product, this will improve its color and serve as an additional preservative;
- Distribute the jam among the prepared jars;
- After it cools down a little and steam stops emanating from it, you can close the lids.
This cooking technology is considered the most correct, since heat treatment is minimized, and the berries are gradually soaked in syrup during the settling period. This produces a thick jam with whole berries and the most preserved composition of nutrients.
Strawberry jam from a slow cooker
Here is the recipe using modern technology. It requires 1 kg of granulated sugar and strawberries, as well as 20 g of a thickener, for example, “Zhelinka”.
Cooking method:
- Place strawberries and sugar in a multicooker bowl;
- Wait for the juice to separate;
- Set the stewing program on the multicooker;
- Cooking duration – 1 hour;
- A couple of minutes before the end, add the thickener and stir well;
- At the end of the program, you can roll the jam into a sterile container.
Cooking secrets
It’s not difficult to choose a recipe – there are a lot of them. However, there are some secrets on how to make really thick strawberry jam for the winter:
- Do not make the berries wait long for their fate. Once assembled, start cooking. Strawberries are losing their unique aroma, color and taste every minute. Jam made from such raw materials can quickly deteriorate;
- In order to maintain the shape of the product, collection is carried out in dry weather. Berries picked after a rainstorm will turn into a shapeless mass when cooked;
- The container for making strawberry jam is a wide and capacious container made of non-oxidizing material. A larger area of evaporation will provide a thicker consistency. Previously, they used brass and copper basins, which, in addition to having suitable characteristics, additionally disinfected the jam;
- The amount of sugar directly affects the thickness of strawberry jam: the more it is, the thicker the result;
- In some recipes, the desired consistency is achieved by prolonged cooking, up to several hours, but there is no benefit from such a product; prolonged heat treatment destroys all beneficial substances;
- Sugar not only thickens, but also preserves the berries; a sufficient amount of it does not allow pathogenic microbes to multiply. Jam with a minimum amount of sugar cannot be stored for long;
- Can make original strawberry jam, simply seasoning it with some spices: cloves, cinnamon, mint and others to your taste.
