How to make a delicious thick strawberry jam at home, simple recipes
During the strawberry harvesting period, many gardeners are thinking about how best to preserve the harvest, since the period of eating fresh berries is short. Using recipes for strawberry jams allows you to get a delicious treat that can be consumed immediately or used as an additional source of vitamins in winter. To do this, just read the list of options and choose the most suitable one.
Cooking specifics
The main difference between jam and traditional strawberry jam is that when preparing a treat, you do not need to preserve the shape of the berries. Getting a jelly-like consistency is made possible by using sugar in recipes. There are many options for preparing a treat, ranging from simple recipes without boiling to more complex ones that require the addition of special gelling agents to obtain a thicker product.
For the preparation of jams, copper or aluminum containers are not used, since when in contact with such materials, strawberries acquire an off-flavor and are saturated with harmful additives. It is recommended to use stainless steel dishes or enamel pans. It is better to use a large wooden spoon to stir the treats during cooking.
Long-term storage of workpieces can only be guaranteed by carefully sterilized jars.
How to choose and prepare strawberries
For work, they take ripe berries without obvious signs of spoilage and rot. For washing, use running water or a basin of water. The berry for jam must be peeled of sepals and stalks. Making jams involves chopping strawberries in any of the available ways - by hand, using a blender, meat grinder or crush. If desired, you can chop the raw material with a knife.
Ways to make strawberry jam at home
Strawberry billet can be cooked in the traditional way, which allows you to get a product for long-term storage. Connoisseurs of time and effort often use simple five-minute recipes, which make it possible to quickly process a large volume of raw materials and immediately get a tasty treat. In the cooking process, you can use the advantages of household appliances, which greatly facilitate the work.
A simple recipe for the winter
Strawberry jam can be made using only 3 ingredients. The lemon in this recipe is responsible for the "correct" chemical reactions during storage.For cooking you need:
- sugar - 800 g;
- berries - 1 kg;
- lemon - 1⁄2 pc.
The berries, peeled from foreign objects, are crushed using a blender until a mixture of a homogeneous consistency is obtained. Next, the berry base is poured into a container and set for cooking over medium heat, holding for 5 minutes from the moment of boiling. After that, lemon juice is gently introduced and the process continues for another 20 minutes with constant stirring. When the foam forms on the surface, it is removed without allowing the jam to "escape". Hot dessert is poured into jars and left to cool completely.
"Five-minute"
The advantage of the "5-minute" is the simplicity of the recipe and the minimum time required to get the treat. To prepare 3 cans of 350 ml each you need:
- strawberries - 1 kg;
- sugar - 400 g
The processed berries are laid out in a deep container, covered with sugar and left in the refrigerator for 5 hours. The strawberry base, along with the juice, is transferred into a saucepan, brought to a boil and kept on fire for 5 minutes. After that, the jam is transferred to cool down in sterilized containers, which, after rolling, are turned upside down.
In a multicooker
You can prepare a dessert using the following ingredients:
- chopped strawberries - 3 cups;
- sugar - 600 g
Chopped berries and sugar are placed in a multicooker to extract juice, setting the "keep warm" mode. Readiness is determined by the degree of complete dissolution of the sand. Next, set the "baking" mode, which corresponds to 100-120 C. Hold the mixture for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. For the first 7 minutes, it will actively boil, after which it will gradually begin to acquire density.
With gelatin
Jam with a thicker consistency allows you to add gelatin, while in the presence of such a component, the amount of sugar is required less. The delicacy option assumes the following proportions:
- strawberries - 600 g;
- sugar - 0.5 kg;
- gelatin - 1 tsp;
- water - 50 ml.
The water in the recipe is needed to dissolve the gelatin. Sprinkle the berries with sugar and grind until smooth with a blender. For 25 minutes, the mixture is kept on fire, its color should change towards a burgundy hue. The diluted gelatin is slowly introduced into the berry base with constant stirring, keeping on fire for another 7 minutes.
With pectin
You can cook jam with pectin, which allows you to add thickness to the dessert. For cooking you need:
- strawberries - 1 kg;
- granulated sugar - 700 g;
- pectin - 2 tbsp. l.
With the help of a blender, a puree-like consistency of berries is achieved. Sugar in the amount of 2 tbsp. l. mixed with pectin and added to the fruit mixture, which is then brought to a boil over the fire. It is kept in this state for 4 minutes with constant stirring, after which it is poured into jars.
Seedless
A more delicious jam is obtained without seeds, such a delicacy due to its special consistency is ideal for sweet toasts. The highlight is that after crushing the berries, the berry base is filtered through a sieve to remove the seeds. You can take any of the traditional recipes as a basis. It should be borne in mind that the initial weight of the berries is significantly reduced after obtaining a seedless base for cooking.
In a bread maker
You can make jam using a bread maker, since you do not need to spend time constantly stirring. The dessert is prepared using the following ingredients:
- strawberries - 1.5 kg;
- sugar - 600 g;
- lemon juice - 3 tbsp. l.
Chopped berries and sugar are mixed, fruit juice is added. The mixture is placed in a bread maker for 1.5 hours.
With mint
Mint goes well with strawberries, shading the flavor of the berries and giving the dessert freshness. The following proportions will be required:
- strawberries - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1.5 kg;
- mint - 1 bunch;
- lemon juice - 100 ml;
- pectin - 2 sachets.
The mint is poured with 1 glass of boiling water for 60 minutes, the water saturated with the taste of herbs is further used in the cooking process. The berry base is combined with mint infusion, lemon juice and sugar are introduced and kept in a boil for 15 minutes. Then add pectin and keep on fire for a couple of minutes.
How to store strawberry jam
The storage conditions for treats depend on the processing method. The sterilized product can be stored in a room with a temperature range from 0 to +25 C. The workpiece without heat treatment must be kept in a cooler place, and the temperature should not exceed +10 C. The average shelf life of strawberry-based desserts is 1 year; if citric acid is present, it can be extended to 24 months.
