9 best step-by-step recipes for apple jelly with and without gelatin for the winter
Apple jelly prepared for the winter is a delicious dish that will come in handy for your everyday and festive table. Apples are a storehouse of vitamins, and even in a canned state they retain a lot of vitamins. And jelly options, supplemented with cinnamon, mint, quince, pumpkin or cranberries, will be a real boon for those who would like to maintain their immunity in order during the cold season.
General cooking principles
Apple jelly is prepared according to various recipes, but it is important to remember that the seeds and any hard parts must be removed. If they remain, then the banks will certainly swell, and all the work of the hostess will go down the drain. With the addition of gelatin, jelly is made much faster, but still it will not be a completely natural product. But the choice of a recipe without gelatin will delight you with its taste and spicy, rich aroma, and unusual consistency. Either way, the applesauce is simmered in a thick-walled saucepan with a bottom until thickened.
Selection and preparation of the main ingredient
Apples correctly selected are very important. The taste of the dish depends on them. Any varieties are suitable, but the fruits should be juicy, firm, fresh, without defects, bruises, cracks, signs of decay. Alas, the color of the puree will be identical in any case, so there is no point in taking bright fruits.
On average, one kilogram of apples, if you take into account the entire processing and evaporation process, makes up to 200 grams of jelly. Therefore, if you plan to close a kilo of jam, then you need to take 5 kilos of fresh product.
How to prepare a container?
A mandatory step is the correct sterilization of the cans. Should:
- carefully examine the containers for chips, cracks (such cannot be used);
- wash thoroughly under running cold water with detergents, you can use soda;
- rinse with boiling water and sterilize.
Sterilization can be done in a variety of ways. If the supply of apples is large and it is planned to close many cans, then they can be put in the oven for 15 minutes with their necks down, and then rearranged, without allowing air to enter, onto a clean cloth. If there are few cans, then each can be put in the microwave or on the spout of a kettle with boiling water.
How to make apple jelly for the winter?
You can use the following recipes.
Recipe without gelatin
The recipe without the use of gelatin is the simplest in nature.The list of ingredients is minimal, but the taste will amaze even gourmets. The possibility of cooking without the use of gelatin is due to the fact that apples contain pectin, which itself acts as a natural thickener (therefore, the skin cannot be removed). You will need:
- 1 kilogram of apples;
- half a liter of water;
- 400 grams of sand.
The main product is thoroughly washed out, the core is removed, cut into slices of 2-3 centimeters. Apples are placed in pots and water is added, boil over the slowest heat. You cannot stir, you need to wait for the juice to appear. The fluid is then decanted. Sugar is poured into the resulting broth, cooked over low heat until thickened. The finished composition is laid out in banks and rolled up.
Without sterilization
To make thick jam you will need:
- 1 kg of apples;
- 800 g sugar;
- a teaspoon of citric acid.
The fruit is cut in half, the seeds are removed, and immersed in water in which citric acid is diluted. Hold for 15 minutes, after which it is prepared according to the standard recipe. Acid is a versatile way to make sterilization unnecessary.
Cinnamon
For this recipe you will need:
- 2 kg of apples;
- 1.5 liters of water;
- 400 grams of sugar;
- 4 sticks of natural cinnamon (do not use packaged cinnamon).
In fact, the process is identical to the standard one, cinnamon is laid at the last stage (you do not need to roll it up with it).
With mint
The mint version will cheer you up in cold weather. Mint is always taken fresh, only the leaves, and not all the branches at once.
For aroma, it is added to the boiling mixture, it can be left in the finished composition during seaming - it will give a greenish tint.
Spicy jelly
Need to:
- 1.5 kg of apples;
- 500 g sugar;
- 10 carnation stars;
- lemon.
The cloves and fruits are simmered until soft, then whipped with a blender (the foam is removed). Sugar and lemon juice are added and boiled until thickened.
With cranberries and quince
Cranberries and quince will add a spicy taste to the jam. It is necessary:
- 1 kg of main ingredient;
- 0.3 kg of cranberries;
- 0.5 kg of quince.
Everything is thoroughly cleaned. While apples are being prepared according to the standard recipe, cranberries and quince are being prepared. They can be passed through a sieve or ground in a blender. Pour into applesauce when it has already boiled for 15 minutes. They are waiting for complete thickening. Sometimes this recipe will require the addition of gelatin.
With gelatin
Gelatin is a thickener that can save time on preservation. Fruits are finely chopped, passed through a juicer (a blender is also suitable). Foam is removed from the resulting juice. Gelatin is diluted with water according to the instructions and set to swell.
Gelatin is spread in a saucepan with juice, sugar is added. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a spoon. It is impossible to allow boiling, as soon as the process begins, the mass is removed and rolled over the banks.
With pumpkin
The pumpkin is cut into small pieces, evaporated in a frying pan with a thick bottom. When the apples are almost ready, the mixture is added to the puree from them. You need to make sure that the pumpkin was fresh, sweet varieties.
From apple juice
You will need to take fresh food and process them with a juicer. The resulting juice without foam is put on a slow fire and boiled together with granulated sugar. The gelatin is diluted and added in the last step. Do not allow the appearance of foam (it is removed with a spoon in the process) and the mass boiling.
Expiration date and storage rules
Apple jelly is not very perishable, but keep in mind that the more it is stored, the more vitamins are lost. Therefore, it is advisable to eat the cooked jam in the first year and not allow it to be stored for 2 or more years.
Closed cans are placed in a cool and dark place, and open ones must be placed in the refrigerator.
