Cooking For Engineers

pbone · Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 8:02 pm Post subject: marmalade question

I have cooked orange and lemon skins and pulp and sliced ginger in juice that makes 4 quarts. The only thing I need to do before putting it into jelly jars is add the sugar (and I think I'll add a packet of liquid pectin) and cook it til the sugar is dissolved. My question is: How many cups of sugar do I need to add to 4 quarts to get the right ratio?

JulieB · Joined: 30 Oct 2011 Posts: 8

The Fanny Farmer Cookbook. . .if she is still around. . .in hardbound, offers multiple proportion tables just inside the cover! Wink

pbone · Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 5:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Julie - Here's what happened: I found credible instructions more than once that said one to one, in other words, 4 lbs sugar to 4 libs fruit. So I did that, dissolved the sugar over medeium high heat, added 1 packet liquid pectin, boiled furiously for one minute and put the marmalade into jars and processed for ten minutes. The marmalade is delicious but....it didn't set! I think I should have made it in half batches. Smaller batches, I'm told, work better, so I should have at least halved the fruit and proceed with the sugar (and pectin) in two batches. I'm still interested in others' opinions or tips, discussing the making of marmalade. btw, the reason I cooked all the peel and fruit first, without the sugar, was that one web site said cooking the fruit WITH the sugar makes the rind tough...