Jam v.s. Jelly?!
Jam v.s. Jelly?
What's the difference. Also, where do preserves fit into the equation?
Answers:
Jelly is the strained flavor of the fruit...no actually fruit pieces. Jam has fruit pieces in it.
The terms jam and jelly are used in different parts of the world in different ways.
Properly, the term jam refers to a product made with whole fruit, cut into pieces or crushed. The fruit is heated with water and sugar to activate the pectin in the fruit. The mixture is then put into containers. The following extract from a US cookbook describes the process.
"Jams are usually made from pulp and juice of one fruit, rather than a combinations of several fruits. Berries and other small fruits are most frequently used, though larger fruits such as apricots, peaches, or plums cut into small pieces or crushed are also used for jams. Good jam has a soft even consistency without distinct pieces of fruit, a bright color, a good fruit flavor and a semijellied texture that is easy to spread but has no free liquid." - Berolzheimer R(ed) et al (1959) [1]
Jelly is made by a similar process, with the additional step of filtering out the fruit pulp after the initial heating. A cloth "jelly bag" is traditionally used as a filter.
"Good jelly is clear and sparkling and has a fresh flavor of the fruit from which it is made. It is tender enough to quiver when moved, but holds angles when cut.
EXTRACTING JUICE - Pectin is best extracted from the fruit by heat, therefore cook the fruit until soft before straining to obtain the juice ... Pour cooked fruit into a jelly bag which has been wrung out of cold water. Hang up and let drain. When dripping has ceased the gab may be squeezed to remove remaining juice, but this may cause cloudy jelly." - Berolzheimer R(ed) et al (1959) [2]
A third term, fruit butter, is used in this context to refer to a process where the whole fruit is forced through a sieve or blended after the heating process.
"Fruit butters are generally made from larger fruits, such as apples, plums peaches or grapes. Cook until softened and run through a sieve to give a smooth consistency. After sieving, cook the pulp...add sugar and cook as rapidly as possible with constant stirring... The finished product should mound up when dropped from a spoon, but should not cut like jelly. Neither should there be any free liquid." - Berolzheimer R(ed) et al (1959) [3]
Although these terms exist in North America, the UK and Australia, popularly most jams are generically referred to as "jelly" in North America, as whole fruit jams and fruit butters are less popular commercially than jelly there. In the UK and Australia both terms are used in their "correct" sense, although the term jam is more popularly used in Australia as a generic term[4]. To further confuse the issue, the term jelly is also used in the UK and Australia to refer to a gelatin dessert, but in North America the commercial product Jell-o is used as a generic name for the same
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/preserves...
Jelly is this:
http://www.tec-tsuji.com/recipe2002/home...
http://photos22.flickr.com/26497019_84cb...
Jam is this:
http://www.svz.com/images/uploadcms/appl...
http://seattlebonvivant.typepad.com/seat...
The Americans call Jam as Jelly but the English call it the other way (and the correct way) around. So rightfully, to say peanut butter and jelly is wrong. It's suppose to be peanut butter and jam. Also, preservatives are not really necessary in these two items if they are home made as both are already heavily sugared. Anything that's heavily sugared can last for quite some time as sugar itself is already a natural preservative. However, preservatives are added to commercial Jams and Jelly to prevent the growth of micro-organisms.
American English
Jelly - made from fruit juice - no fruit pieces
Jam - made with small pieces of fruit and sometimes fruit pulp.
Preserves - made with large or whole pieces of fruit.