Jam help please!

[Nicos]

Just wondered if anyone can help me?
I'm not very experienced at jam making

I made several types of jam yesterday and all look and taste yummy.

Thing is, I invert the pots once the jam is inside for a few minutes to help sterilise the lids even more.

Usually this works fine as I make the more runny type of French jam/confiture.

However , I made a thicker gooseberry and ginger jam yesterday and when I turned the pots the right way round, the jam had stuck to the lid...I gave it a good shake and the majority glooped to the bottom of the jar.
Thing is, there is still quite a bit stuck inside the lid and on the edges of the glass which makes it rather unsightly to give as a gift.

Is there any way I can get the jam to settle at the bottom properly now it's fully set without opening the jars and reheating etc??

If I left the jars right way up in hot /boiling water might the jam slide down to join the rest???

I don't really want to spend hours faffing around trying to get it to look right if there is one simple, guaranteed method!


Any suggestions gratefully received!

[scarey55]

Hmmm, not really sure of an answer. I did think of standing them upside down in hot water or under a running hot tap but I'm still not sure that you would remove all of the jam and you'd probably still have a film around the neck. Perhaps you could put some sort of material "ruffle" around the top which would hide it, otherwise, I'm afraid it is going to have to be re-jarring them.

[roitelet]

You could try. If you have a vacuum seal on the lids you could submerge the jars. If you have reused commercial lids the button on the top will have become concave. I ever invert mine and have only ever had about three jars go off. Hot jars and hot lids and they will vacuum seal.

Best of luck

[Scarlet]

I've never invert the jars for the same reason! Once did a chilli jam and all the "bits" sunk so I shook them up as it cooled to disperse it and some of the bits stuck to the glass where there was no jam .

You could try what you've suggested or maybe taking the lid off, clean lids and the rim of the jar then put back into a saucepan. Though I'm not sure whether the jars inside will then be sterile??

It maybe wiser just to leave it

[Scarlet]

Hmmm, not really sure of an answer. I did think of standing them upside down in hot water or under a running hot tap but I'm still not sure that you would remove all of the jam and you'd probably still have a film around the neck.

That's my thoughts...jam always leaves a sticky mess

[Nicos]

Darn.

Oh well...I'll just stare at them a while longer before I decide what to do!

[Scarlet]

Give them to friends that don't look too closely. If you rewash the jars etc you will end up with less jam.

[Nicos]

Yeh..it taste too yummy to waste!

[Thelma Sanders]

You can boil them in water up to their necks and the jam will liquefy again, and slide down a bit more - but, like scarey says, I think you will still end up with some stickiness above the level of the jam

[Nicos]

I'm just wondering what would happen if I submerged them in a water bath and boiled them for say 5 mins?( maybe longer???)

I have a huge bucket which will takes 12x 1 litre preserving jars.

They are all well sealed ( well they seem to be with most of them having new lids.)

[alldigging]

Take it to friends and say it's been tipped up in the car on the way and then by the time they've eaten some they won't care.

[Nicos]

Ha!!!....I like that idea!

[Patchninja]

Far too much trouble to go to, Nicos. Just bring them round to my house!!!

[skeggijon]

I think I would just do the old fashioned jam pot cover thing, that way you can hide the top of the jar