Steamed Fruit Juices and Jelly Making

[Ron]

I have bought myself a steamer with an attachment which is designed to drain fruit juices from the steamed pulp. I want to make jellies (the preserve not the desert), particularly apple and pear as these aren't readily available commercially. I haven't had a go yet but the day is coming...

I have 5kg of pears which I am going to steam tomorrow. It takes about 2 hours to get the juice which is then used to make the jelly. Pears don't have much pectin (it sets the jelly) so I will be using preserving sugar. Watch this space! I will let you know how I get on.

Meanwhile you might want to have a look at this link. It gives a lot of info about steamers... chickensintheroad.com/forum/the-canning-pot/steam-juicer/ and this one which gives lots of recipes... www.juicer-steamer.com/fremehrec.html and in case you're interested in buying a steamer and want good value (it's the one I bought)... www2.westfalia.net/shops/household/cooking_utensils/pots/boiling_down_pots/320475-stainless_steel_juicer_9_litre.htm

[Auricula]

Looks very interesting, thank you

[Ron]

This is the pan I’m going to use. It’s basically a steamer but is often called a juicer with its middle section included.

The bottom pan is where the water boils and the steam rises.

The middle section collects the juice. The steam rises through the centre hole.

The top section holds the fruit. It takes about 5kg of most fruits, larger ones cut up. The juice drains down into the middle section where it can be decanted via the pipe.

I’m expecting a delivery soon from Asda which includes the pears. I’ll photograph the procedure and let you see what happens. When the juice has been collected, the actual jelly making starts. That will be tomorrow.

[Rosefriend]

Blimey it looks like a scientific experiment Rony....be interesting to see what the end result is..

RF

[Ron]

Most recipes suggest you should use apples or pears with the skins and cores still attached. I believe there are two good reasons not to do so. Firstly, most apples and pears will have been sprayed and there may be residues on the skins. The skins and pips also leave a taste in the juice which tends to be a bit bitter.
Secondly, the pectin (gelling agent) is present in the skins and cores. If you want to follow an old recipe and test for setting at regular intervals then leave them in, but I prefer more control and to be more sure of the outcome. Pears have little pectin anyway so more is needed. The calculations for how much to use and the uncertainty in how long you will need to boil to get a set are complications I would rather do without. If you use a preserving sugar (jam sugar), the instructions tell you precisely how long to boil, usually about 4 minutes. It’s quicker and much easier. I will therefore peel and core my pears before processing.

Rosefriend, as you may have gathered, I’m a fan of gadgets particularly when they work well and make life easier. This is an apple/pear peeler, corer and slicer. It does it all in one go.

[Rosefriend]

Well apart from the obvious difference between man and women, the first thought that went through my mind when I saw that, apart that it looks like a medieval torture instrument, is....I would have peeled, cored and eaten an apple before you had even started, plus and this is very much a women's point of view....it has to be washed up!!!!

Mind you if you are making kilos of apples/pears etc I can see the advantages...!!

RF

[Ron]

RF, a woman's perspective might change after using it! It is really very easy, you just push the fruit onto the prongs and turn the handle. I guarantee you couldn't do three separate operations by hand any quicker. After use, I spray it with kitchen cleaner, rub it down and rinse. Very easy (even for a man)! ;D

[Rosefriend]

Haha - go on then, show us it in action....how does it slice stuff??

RF

[Ron]

Here you go then, RF...

The peeler/corer/slicer works better with apples than pears due to the shape, but it still does the job. First the pear is pushed onto the prongs.

As the handle is turned, the peel is removed.

The pear is then sliced and cored.

The result is concertina like rings of pear flesh.

I placed these in water to keep the colour while I prepared the other 39 pears!

The pears are now in the juicer. I’ll post again when that is done.

[Rosefriend]

Now I understand...it reminds me of a modern Potato peeler that I saw on a cookery show..yours of course is a tad better !!

To start with I thought that it was taking a hell of a lot of peel off but it isn't the case...

OK - yes I see why you like it and I must admit that I would probably use something like that myself...

Looking forward to the next part..

RF

[Ron]

RF, the gadget is good, it saves loads of time. As to the pears...

After an hour and a half steaming, the pear juice is collected, two and a quarter litres of it. When it has cooled down, I will taste to see how sweet and concentrated it is. You have to add water but that part is not an exact science, you have to go by taste. As a guide though, you would expect to increase the volume by half.

I've a dentist's appointment tomorrow so Saturday will be the day for the second part. I'll post then.

[Jasmine]

Very interesting Rony!
I thought it was taking a lot of peel off at first but it's quite clever how it does just enough but not too much. I've only ever made jelly once - too many upturned stools and bits of muslin for me to repeat it!

[Ron]

That's why I'm using the steamer! Tried the muslin bag method only once and would not go through it again. I've added water to the juice. In the end I went with the guide to use 50% the volume of the juice for the water so ended up with three and three eighths litres which is just about six pints. I need to add 1.8kg of sugar to that. I did mention preserving sugar earlier on, but I got that bit wrong. It's not the same thing as 'jam sugar' which has pectin added. I'll have to buy some jam sugar tomorrow, after leaving the dentist.

[JennyWrenn]

OMG it looks like a Heath Robinson invention - good luck Rony cant wait to see the finished result am partial to red currant jelly myself

[Rosefriend]

We use "jam sugar" here Rony - different types depending on how sweet/more fruit you want it...it is very good. Just boil everything for 3 mins, then in jars and turn the jars on the top until they cool down so that they seal themselves...
We also have one for jelly's but I am to admit hat I have never used it...

RF

[Ron]

This is it then, the last stage. First I heat the oven to Gas 4 (350F, 176C) then put the jars in for 20 minutes to sterilise. The shelf is lined with 2 sheets of newspaper.

To the 6 pints of pear juice I added 1.8kg of jam sugar. I heated it on a fairly low heat until the sugar dissolved adding a knob of butter to stop scum forming, stirring all the time. I then split the juice into two 3 pint lots as it seems you shouldn't do too large a batch in one go, it may not set properly. I turned up the heat and brought it to a rolling boil.

I timed four minutes when it started the rolling boil and then removed the pan from the heat. Taking 2 jars from the oven at a time, I filled them to the neck and put the lids on. With jam, as RF said, you would turn them over to seal. You can't really do that with jelly as its still quite runny yet. It will gel as it cools. I did do a quick gelling test, a little on a cold plate wrinkled up readily when pushed with a finger. The jelly has come out a nice golden colour.

When all the jars are full, I return them to the oven for 15 minutes to sterilise again. That's just to ensure there are no bugs that might affect how long it keeps.

It seems to have gone well. Just the taste test to come!

[Rosefriend]

It's looking good Rony - hope it tastes as good as it looks.

If those jars are really tight, as they will be, then you can turn them over without any problems - nothing will run out....
I did some gherkins the other day - sweet/sour (vinegar, sugar, spices etc) so that is water basically and I turned them all over to seal...

Do you find the jelly a little sweet and if so would you put a touch of lemon juice or vinegar in??

RF

[Ron]

I've tasted it and the jelly is sweet, RF, but it needs the right amount as sugar is the preservative. I did add lemon juice, yes, as much for the fact that there needs to be acid in it for proper gelling as for the taste. Ripe fruit needs a little extra. I can taste the pears well though it does remind me a bit of apricot!

[Rosefriend]

I bet it tastes marvellous with some cold meat or pork pies etc Rony...well done..apricots and cold meat go well together - haha!!!

Are you going to try any other kind??

RF

[Auricula]

Oh, is it for savouries? I assumed it was for toast or sarnies

[Ron]

No, its too sweet for savouries. Its for toast and suchlike, using it like marmalade.