{"id":605,"date":"2019-01-18T11:19:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T16:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev6.finelimedesigns.com\/2014\/01\/13\/making-marmalade-cooking-temperatures-the-jam-setting-point\/"},"modified":"2023-09-12T18:58:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T22:58:59","slug":"making-marmalade-cooking-temperatures-the-jam-setting-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bakeschool.com\/making-marmalade-cooking-temperatures-the-jam-setting-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Never make runny marmalade again: the marmalade setting point"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ever wonder about the setting point for marmalade? Or what temperature do you actually have to boil marmalade to? I investigated how the temperature affects marmalade set and I was really surprised by the results. Check it out! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n[feast_advanced_jump_to]\n\n\n

I cannot stand recipes that suggest that I cook my jam to the \"desired consistency\" or until it \"passes the wrinkle plate test\". Say what? How do you know when marmalade is cooked enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let's be honest. If you are not a jam and marmalade expert and if you don't make preserves very often, you will probably lack the experience to see the visual cues of the perfect set. I know that I can't always tell!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hate guessing games and, as you know, I love to measure everything<\/b>. And that is how the marmalade temperature experiment was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you understand the jam setting point<\/a> applies to marmalade too, your jam-making will get a lot easier!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"three<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do you know when marmalade is set?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You have three basic options for determining if your marmalade has cooked enough and will set properly after cooling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. the bubbles:<\/strong> when the marmalade first comes to a boil, the bubbles are quite volatile, they form and pop almost instantaneously, whereas when the marmalade has thickened enough, the bubbles will be more stable and resemble blinking fish eyes. The visual cues are hard to see for beginners so if you are learning to make marmalade and jams, I recommend you observe the changes in the bubbles as you go, but you should rely on other methods to decide when your marmalade has reached the setting point.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. the wrinkle plate test: <\/strong>freeze a few small saucer plates in your freezer overnight. When you think your marmalade is cooked enough, retrieve a saucer from the freezer and place a dollop of hot marmalade on the plate. Put it back in the freezer for 1 minute, then take it out and push the dollop with your finger: if the dollop wrinkles nicely, your marmalade is probably done, if it's still too fluid to wrinkle, keep cooking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. the temperature: <\/strong>measure the temperature with a candy thermometer. You want to cook marmalade to somewhere in the range of 217\u00baF to 221\u00baF, depending on how fluid or thick you want it. Don't overcook your marmalade because the peel will become chewy and the sugar will caramelize, so be careful how high you push the temperature before you stop cooking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s one caveat when it comes to using temperature: you need to pay attention to altitude! If you are making marmalade above sea level (like in the Rockies), the boiling point of water will be lower, which means the setting temperature will be lower too! The setting point of 220 \u00b0F is for marmalade-making at sea level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How long does marmalade take to set?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In general, once you achieve the right consistency according to your tests and then you have canned your marmalade in jars using a water bath method<\/a>, you must set the sealed jars aside to cool and it will take 24 to 48 hours for the marmalade to thicken and achieve the final set.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"Batches<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    Experiment to compare cooking temperature to marmalade set<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I cooked up a batch of three fruit marmalade<\/a>, using the whole fruit method (no pectin). I measured the temperature as the marmalade bubbled away with an instant read thermometer, the Thermapen<\/a> which is very fast at registering temperatures and temperature changes, but a probe thermometer with a longer cable like the ChefAlarm<\/a> would be better because then you don't have to hold it with your hands, which would be much less dangerous to use than my hand-held setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I took samples every degree, starting at 217\u00b0F and all the way up to 222\u00b0F. I chose this range because most of the recipes I perused recommended cooking to somewhere in that range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As the marmalade boiled and I sampled away, I honestly thought my experiment was a flop. I could not have been more mistaken. Behold, the results!<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    What is the setting temperature for marmalade (also known as marmalade setting point)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    It turns out there is a significant difference between marmalade cooked to 217\u00b0F and marmalade cooked to 220\u00b0F. Generally, the setting point of marmalade is 222\u00baF (which comes out to about 105\u00baC). Cooked to 220\u00baF, marmalade will be very thick and will set properly once cooled. But some people don't like to cook marmalade that much and prefer a looser set, others prefer to go a little higher, up to 222\u00baF. That's entirely up to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here's the impact of cooking temperature on marmalade set:<\/p>\n\n\n\n