What's the difference between jam, jelly, and preserves?
I assume the difference in name is due to their cooking processes, but am unsure what exactly makes them different.
Best Answer
according to the Ball canning book (paraphrasing)...
JAM is made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar, and is made of one fruit or a combination of fruits, is spreadable, and is firm but will not hold the shape of the jar.
JELLY is made from juice strained from fruit, usually prepared in a way to keep it crystal clear, and is gelatinized enough to hold is shape when removed from the jar, yet is still spreadable.
PRESERVES are fruit preserved with sugar so it retains its shape, is transparent, shiny, tender and plump. the syrup generally has the consistency of honey, and a true preserve will not hold its shape when spooned from the jar.
to add to the confusion, i'll also add their descriptions of...
CONSERVES, which are jam-like and made of a combination of one or more fruits, nuts and raisins, cooked until it rounds up on the spoon.
MARMALADES are a soft jelly containing pieces of fruit and peel evenly suspended in a transparent jelly. similar in structure to jam.
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Quick Answer about "What's the difference between jam, jelly, and preserves?"
Jelly: Jelly is made with strained fruit juice. There are no pieces of fruit in jelly. Jam: Jam is made with mashed fruit. Preserves: Preserves have whole fruit or large pieces of fruit.Which is better jelly jam or preserves?
At the end of the day, it all depends on your preferences. If you prefer a smooth consistency, go for jelly. If you're more into a thick strawberry spread on your PB&J, buy a jam. And if you're looking for a more chunky mouthfeel, opt for preserves or an orange marmalade.Which is healthier jelly or jam?
Is one healthier than the other? Jam and jelly have virtually the same nutritional value, fruity taste, and spreadable texture. Thus, you can use them interchangeably.Is strawberry jam jelly or preserves?
Preserves are another thick fruit spread made from fruit cooked with sugar, but in this case, large pieces of the fruit, or the whole fruit (as in the case of berries), are suspended in a firm jelly or less-gelled syrupy base. Unlike jams and jellies, preserves are chunky in texture.Rnbstylerz \u0026 AREES - WHAT
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Answer 2
An additional note: The cooking process is pretty much the same for jam, jelly, marmalade, preserves & conserves. It is the preparation of the fruit which makes the difference in the final product.
Answer 3
From Gregory McNamee's article VQR:
Jelly is mostly made up of gelatin, pectin, or some other gelling agent that is added to fruit that has been cooked until it is soft and its solids have been strained out, often to transparency.
Jam is cooked like jelly, but the fruit solids are pureed or mashed and kept in the mixture.
Preserves similarly contain cooked fruits, except that the fruit solids are left in chunks rather than pureed.
From a practical perspective jelly shouldn't have seeds while jam might. I object to the texture of raspberry jam and prefer jelly, but the the seeds in strawberry jam don't bother me.
WiseGeek has an excellent article about it that also addresses nutritional value and common uses.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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