• Spherification
  • Recipes
    • Baked Goods
      • Breads
      • Cakes
      • Pies
    • Breakfast
    • Starters
      • Salads
      • Soups
      • Appetizers
    • Meals
      • Entrées
      • Sides
      • Cured Foods
      • Fermentation
    • Desserts
      • Frozen Treats
      • Gummies
      • Candies
      • Baked Desserts
    • Beverages
      • Alcoholic
      • Non-Alcoholic
    • Snacks
    • Sauces and Condiments
    • Spherification
      • Direct Spherification
      • Reverse Spherification
    • Special Diets
      • Plant-Based
      • Gluten-Free
      • Keto
      • Dairy-Free
      • Sugar-Free
  • Ask A Chef
  • WTF
  • Shop
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
x

High Altitude Jams

December 9, 2018Cole Whitney
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

High Altitude Jams

The Struggle

For those of you hoping the purpose of this article is to announce the revival of the late 90’s Jock Jamz CD series, sorry to burst your bubble, it is not. It is about…. Y’all ready for this? PECTIN! Pectin is an amazing ingredient that is found in the cell walls of almost all fruits and vegetables. It’s the building block that hold the plants together. On our site we have 5 different ingredients all labeled as pectin. But they all have different tasks when it comes to jelly and jam making. Most commonly you will have an old family recipe or find one on the internet that says something along the lines of “bring the mixture to a boil or the pectin wont work!” This isn’t entirely true. There are many factors that help make pectin turn into a gel. Recently we received a question from a customer who lives at a high elevation. They were having trouble with their jellies and jams and they asked

“Can I make jam or jelly without it boiling?”

Can’t Even Boil Water

Boiling is a term a lot of people use because it is very easy to understand. It’s common knowledge that if you put a pot of water on the stove, turn the gas on high and wait, the water will eventually boil. The boiling point of water occurs at 212 F (100C) at sea level. But at 3300 ft above sea level water boils at 205.5 F (96 C). Does this mean that pectin must reach 205.5 F (96 C) at 3300 ft above sea level? Our customer still felt the needed to heat the jam to 212F (100C) every time they made the recipe. The Thankfully the answer is no, you do not need to bring the jam to a full boil or 212F (100C) for it to gel. It is true that pectin will gel when it reaches a certain temperature, and that temperature is 195 F. This isn’t the only factor that causes the gelling of pectin. Remember earlier when I mentioned we carry 5 types of pectin? It may be intimidating to try and figure out what type of pectin to use for what situation. Do you want to make traditional fruit jelly/jam or a savory low sugar jelly/jam like our delicious bacon jam? Below you will find a chart that will help you figure out the right type of pectin you will need the next time you make jelly or jam.   

Type Usage ratio Requirements to gel Setting temp Thermo reversible
Rapid set HM Pectin

(Aka Yellow or Apple pectin)

0.2-6.5%
    • At least 60% sugar
    • Ideally 2.8-3.5ph
  • Must be heated to 195F
104-185F

(40-85C)

No
Slow set set HM Pectin 0.2-6.5%
    • At least 60% sugar
    • Ideally 2.8-3.5ph
  • Must be heated to 195F
104-185F

(40-85C)

No
NH Pectin 0.8-2%
    • Low to no sugar concentrations
    • Contains calcium needed to gel
    • Partially cold water 195F to gel
  • Ideally 3.2-3.6ph
104-176F

(40-80C)

Yes
LM

Pectin

0.8-1.2%
    • Low to no sugar concentrations
    • Requires 10-30mg of calcium per gram of pectin to gel
    • Partially cold water 195F to gel
  • 2.8-6.5ph
104-158F

(40-70C)

Yes
Amidated

LM

Pectin

0.8-1.2%
    • Low to no sugar concentrations
    • Requires 10-30mg of calcium per gram of pectin to gel
    • Partially cold water 195F to gel
  • Ideally 3.2-3.6ph
104-158F

(40-70C)

Yes

Have a Question? Ask a Chef!

Modernist Pantry is here to help professional and home chefs transform food. We’re honored so many of you reach out to our test kitchen for problem solving and inspiration. Have a question? Click to Ask a Chef!

You Might Also Like...

  • Appealingly Peeled
    see more
  • Long Term Cure Accelerators 
    see more
  • Lecithin in Chocolate Making
    see more

Comments (4)

Ole

June 25, 2019 10:16 am

Hi! Isn’t pectin NH thermoreversible?

Janie Wang

June 25, 2019 2:09 pm

Yup it is, we’ve updated the chart!

robin swartz

October 10, 2019 2:10 pm

I want to make a mixed fruit vegan jelly (Peach Nectarine and Plum) from my fruit trees and I have 5 1/2 cups of juice and need 7 cups of sugar how much pectin would I need? Its not on the packet on the web site.

Janie Wang

October 11, 2019 9:34 am

Between 2-4% of the total weight of the recipe which would be between 56-112g.

Recent Posts

The Secret of Plant-Based Coffee Creamer

Plant-Based Coffee Creamer

Do You Enjoy Recipes, Tips, and Kitchen Inspiration?

Subscribe for Kitchen Alchemy

Transformation Inspirations from Modernist Pantry

Success! Thank you for subscribing.

ABOUT MODERNIST PANTRY

Modernist Pantry was founded by food lovers just like you. We share your passion for kitchen experimentation and have everything you need to make culinary magic happen in your kitchen. Professional chef, home cook, food enthusiast—no matter your skill or experience, Modernist Pantry has something for you. We make it easy to get the ingredients and supplies you need (and can’t find anywhere else) so that you can spend less time hunting and gathering and more time creating memorable dishes and culinary experiences...
© 2016 Modernist Pantry, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest