Runny marmalade

[tryingtobeearthmother]

Please help. my Seville orange marmalade looks great, tastes great but is very very runny. It passed all set tests before I potted it up and the peel is even throughout the pots. Is there anything I can do to thicken it up or is it a bit too late? Any ideas welcome. Thanks

 

[Michael in FtW]

With marmalade - the main problems with setting up are:

(1) not cooked long enough: bringing it up to temp on a jelly thermometer doesn't mean it's ready - it means "get ready and pay attention". You say yours passed all set tests ... how did you test it?

(2) not enough acid: Some people leave out, or reduce, the lemon juice in a recipe because they think it will make the marmalade too bitter. Don't know your recipe.

(3) not enough pectin: some people make the mistake of going to great lengths to zest the oranges to avoid the bitter white pith between the fruit and skin. Unfortunately, the pectin in oranges is in the pith. And, ripe fruit has less pectin than under-ripe fruit which is why using 25% under ripe fruit helps.

Don't know "how" you "potted" these ... or how long ago. If it has been just 24 hours or so - you might try dumping the jars back into a pot and cooking them a little longer until it is not only up to the gel temp but also passes both the "sheet" and "plate" tests.

Sometimes, as a home canner, you can do everything right ... and it just does't set because you don't have a food lab to check everything.

 

[Bilby]

Welcome to DC!!

 

[dgregory]

Marmalade won't set

I too have had this many many times - I squeeze the gue out of the pips n stuff but no set. is it that by the time the set on a saucer happens the marmalade has been boiled to buggery?

Solution - heresey - PECTIN.

 

[xmascarol1]

not set up

Oh heck, I count on and hope for a few of my jam batches of various types NOT to set up so I can have some delicious fruit syrups for various recipes and just to use to be inventive. You just have to look at it in a different light!

 

[archiduc]

Hi Tryingtobeearthmother,
One of your problems could be that you added too much water in the intial cooking of the oranges. If this is the case, then boiling to achieve the right setting point can result in degrading the pectin which is essential to good setting.

There are a couple of very detailed threads about this very problem on the BBC TV food messageboard that you might like to check out. Google bbc.co.uk, scroll down on the left to LIFESTYLE, click on food and then click on messageboard - located on the right. Go into the food chat messageboard and you`ll find quite a few threads that deal with this problem and how to deal with it.
All the best,
Archiduc

 

[sheila62]

I have the opposite problem my marmalade is too set, is very thick but tastes nice. Can I save it and make it thinner enough to spread easily?

 

[Michael in FtW]

I have the opposite problem my marmalade is too set, is very thick but tastes nice. Can I save it and make it thinner enough to spread easily?

Did you perhaps take a recipe that does not call for added pectin and you added some powdered or liquid pectin "just to make sure it would set"?

Knowing what you did will help us in figuring out how to rescue it.

 

[sheila62]

over set marmalade

I managed to rescue the marmalade, I think it was too much sugar and not enough water. I added a pint of water and boiled for about 7mins, I now have perfect marmalade, my daughter loves it. Thanks

 

[Bilby]

Glad you worked it out and by the way, welcome to DC!!

 

[Grandad]

Marmalade Set Problem

I too have had this many many times - I squeeze the gue out of the pips n stuff but no set. is it that by the time the set on a saucer happens the marmalade has been boiled to buggery?

Solution - heresey - PECTIN.

I too have had a problem with marmalade set. (I use home grown satsumas instead of the seville..) This year I did BOTH (squeeze goo AND use pectin) and the marmalade came out perfect. Using the pectin by itself did not work for me in years past.

 

[expandablejimbo]

How to rescue runny marmalade

If your marmalade turned out runny, it could be a lack of pectin from your oranges. Remember that oranges being a natural product will vary in quality, so even if you have followed a tried and tested method, if your oranges weren't pithy enough, it can be difficult to get the marmalade to set.

You can rescue your marmalade by reboiling with more oranges. Here's how:

1. Pour your runny marmalade back into the preserving pan
2. Strain out and reserve the peel (you will add it back in later)
3. Get another batch of oranges. To be on the safe side, get the same quantity as you first started with. I always overbuy oranges and freeze them so I can remake marmalade later in the year when they are out of season so this is not normally a problem.
4. Squeeze the oranges and discard the juice (or cook another dish with the juice, eg. stir fry beef with orange and chilli. Mmmmm!)
5. Put all the bits from the juicer in your muslin bag. Scoop out all the pith from the orange skins and add to the bag. Discard the orange skins.
6. Put the muslin bag in your runny marmalade and simmer for an hour. Meanwhile wash and resterilise your jars.
7. Turn the heat up and boil furiously for 10 minutes. Add the peel back in after about 5 minutes. You should then be able to get the marmalade well over the setting point, ie above 105 Celsius. Remember that 105 C is only the starting to set point. To guarantee setting, get it above that. Then check the marmalade with the gel test on a cold saucer.
8. You will know if your marmalade is going to set because anything you dip into the marmalade will get really sticky. The marmalade you drop onto a saucer will soon set, as will the marmalade left on the spoon you scooped the sample out with. If that isn't happening then the marmalade is not ready to set.
9. When ready, turn off the heat and leave the marmalade to rest for 10 minutes when you can pick out any scummy bits that may have accumulated. Then pop it in the jars. Don't be surprised if your marmalade quantity has reduced by quite a lot!

Hope this works for you. It has for me.