Thinning over thick marmalade

[Broadback]

I made a lot of marmalade recently in three batches. The first batch is
very thick, is there an efficient way of thinning it?

[Janet Bostwick]

I did that once. Nasty. I would make a small amount of simple syrup
(equal parts water and sugar heated until crystals dissolve). Empty
the jar of marmalade that you want to eat right now into a small pot
and heat slowly. Add a little bit of simple syrup until you think the
consistency is right. I would do this every time I opened a new jar
of marmalade. Otherwise you will have to reprocess each jar of
marmalade.
Janet US

[Janet]

In article <lcb3ck$ue4$1...@dont-email.me>, messag...@j-towill.co.uk
says...

>
> I made a lot of marmalade recently in three batches. The first batch is
> very thick, is there an efficient way of thinning it?

You probably overcooked that batch. Once it's in the jar and lids on,
leave it sealed. If you need to thin it to use as a sauce for example,
do so (with water) just before use.

Any imperfect batches can be used up for making steamed marmalade
pudding (like syrup pud but use marmalade instead) or marmalade cake or
(thinned) as a topping for icecream.. Hey, why not make marmalade
iceream. Or adapt a bit of marmalade into for duckling a l'orange.

At a push you can incorporate some thinned marmalade into a trifle
instead of jam, or give it away to someone you don't like enough to
give them one of the best batch.

Janet UK

[Steve Freides]

Janet Bostwick wrote:

> ... simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar heated until crystals
> dissolve).

If you'll forgive me being nit-picky, when you make simple syrup, it's
important not just that all the sugar is dissolved but that the liquid
is clear again. When it first dissolves, it will be cloudy and,
although there may no longer be sugar on the bottom of the pot, you
should continue heating it until it's clear. I couldn't give you a
scientific explanation as to the difference but I believe there is one.

This is, btw, a tiny bit tricky to judge if you're using organic sugar,
which is light brown, or turbinado or other darker sugar, both of which
we use here in simple syrups - you just learn what the proper color is.

-S-

[sf]

On Wed, 29 Jan 2014 08:29:05 -0700, Janet Bostwick
<nos...@cableone.net> wrote:

> On Wed, 29 Jan 2014 14:31:45 +0000, Broadback
> <messag...@j-towill.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >I made a lot of marmalade recently in three batches. The first batch is
> >very thick, is there an efficient way of thinning it?
> I did that once. Nasty. I would make a small amount of simple syrup
> (equal parts water and sugar heated until crystals dissolve). Empty
> the jar of marmalade that you want to eat right now into a small pot
> and heat slowly. Add a little bit of simple syrup until you think the
> consistency is right. I would do this every time I opened a new jar
> of marmalade.

I would just add a little more water, not simple syrup, because I'd
want it thinner - not sweeter.


--
I take life with a grain of salt, a slice of lemon and a shot of tequila

[Dave Smith]

On 2014-01-29 09:31, Broadback wrote:
> I made a lot of marmalade recently in three batches. The first batch is
> very thick, is there an efficient way of thinning it?

I once thinned mine by re-cooking it a jar at a time with a little
orange juice.

One thing thing I learned from years of making marmalade is that it
thickens over time.

[Janet Bostwick]

excellent point
Janet US

[sf]

Great idea! I vote for yours, maybe with a little added lemon or lime
juice so the end result won't be too sweet.