Apple jam

Jam is a great way to preserve the taste and benefit of fruits and berries for the winter. The homemade delicacy will provide winter days with natural taste, aroma and bright color. The most classic example of such a dessert is apple jam, a simple billet with lots of options for its use. Variations of its preparation are the same huge set, but there are also eternal recipes, “with taste” of childhood. Only one fruit can act in several forms at once: amber slices, exquisite confiture, thick jam. The subtleties of making such a jam should be known to an experienced cook, and one who is just discovering this art.

Proper preparation for canning apples

In the process of any preservation there are several important principles that will be useful when cooking apple jam. First of all, you need to stock up on the necessary packaging and covers. For spinning jam, it is recommended to use small-sized containers, up to a maximum of 500 ml. When using liter cans or on 750 ml, the product may become crusted, mold often appears in it, and some of the useful components disappear.

The capacity for cooking the delicacy itself is equally important. The size of the dishes and the material from which it is made is important. Suitable wide bowls or pots with low sides. In deep pans, the product will turn into a heterogeneous mass, cooking in such a container will take longer and more often to interfere, which is why jam loses its appearance and most of the vitamins. A special convenience is the preparation of jam in a slow cooker. The dessert comes out the same, but with less effort.

Stainless steel and enamelled versions are suitable for making apples from apples. It is better to refuse copper and other common basins, since most metals react with fruit acid. Such a reaction is dangerous because heavy compounds get into the product, and instead of useful jam, it turns into a dangerous product.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of apples themselves. Everything will depend on the desired result. Dense whole slices in a thick syrup can be obtained only from hard varieties, it is better to take slightly unripe. Tasty amber jam will be obtained from the varieties: Anise, Ranet, Slavyanka, Grushovka, Papirovka, Antonovka. Whole segments also come out of the white filling, but for this the fruits must not be ripe.

To get jam or jam, you can choose absolutely any sort. Softer types will cook faster, from dense ones you will get the same delicate texture, but you will have to cook a little longer. Over-grown fruits are not suitable for jam or jam, since they have loose flesh and dessert will turn out with a “cotton” taste.

Special preparation – jam from the market, they are also called paradise apples. Small and bright fruits can be canned whole, without removing the stem and the core. In the process of preservation, all the dense parts become soft and juicy, and the look of this paradise apple jam is no less amazing than the taste.

An extremely important stage in conservation concerns the sterilization of containers and equipment. The easiest way is to heat in the microwave. Sometimes steam treatment is used, but this method is for those who are strong in spirit: each jar needs to be held over boiling water for 10-15 minutes, which is not an easy option. Another simple method of sterilization is scalding with boiling water, the jars must be filled with hot water. So that the glass does not crack in this process, before pouring the liquid into the container, you need to put an ordinary metal spoon.

Lids must be boiled and dried before seaming, the cooking pot and a spoon for stirring also need to be doused with boiling water. After all the ingredients are ready, you can choose a recipe and follow it to create a natural and tasty delicacy.

Ways to make jam

The most popular recipe for apple jam – amber with slices. This delicacy is obtained transparent with whole pieces of fruit, it looks appetizing and very tasty. Let’s start with it.

For the preparation of required sugar and fruit in equal quantities, in addition to them need a glass of pure water and time. Cooking such a dessert will have the 2-3 of the day, one cannot say that the recipe is very simple, but the result will please even the avid gourmets. After all the ingredients are ready, you can proceed to the preparation:

1. Selected apples need to be freed from seeds and legs, if there are nadbitnye parts or wormholes – remove them. Washed fruits should be divided into slices, it is desirable to cut the apples into equal parts so that they boil evenly.
2. In a container where amber jam will be prepared, lay apple slices and sugar in layers. In this form, a bowl of apples should be left for 8-10 hours, so that the sugar melts and partially dissolves.
3. Fruits in their own juice to put on the stove and bring to a boil. Syrup may not be enough to cover all the fruits, but jam is undesirable. You can gently press the slices so that they are immersed in the juice.
4. After everything comes to a boil, you should hold the dessert on the fire for another five minutes and put it in a cool place for the same 8-10 hours.
5. Repeat the previous procedure: simmer on medium heat for a couple of minutes and leave to infuse.
6. Last cooking will last 10-15 minutes. After which the hot amber apple jam will be ready to go in jars.

The best such jam is obtained from the Antonovka variety. The lobules are translucent and the thick syrup gets a nice color.

Apple jam with orange is an option for those who want to stock up on an unusual dessert. Such a sweetness turns transparent, with a bright smell and taste. He will need apples, water and sugar – in equal parts, and two medium oranges.

1. Fruits and citruses need to be cut into small cubes with zest, pits and pith. Pour all the water (1 kg of apples a liter of water), put on fire and bring to a boil.
2. When everything boils, you need to cover the container with a lid and reduce the heat to the minimum. In this form, boil the apple mass for another 50-60 minutes. Then leave to cool.
3. The cooled billet must be filtered through a double layer of gauze or a very fine sieve. Glazed juice needs to be diluted with sugar: 500 ml of juice needs as much sugar. Put everything on a low fire and wait for it to boil, stirring constantly.
4. Boiled apple jam with oranges needs to be boiled for 10 minutes, but do not interfere. After that, remove everything from the heat, remove the formed foam and divide the dessert into jars.

If desired, spices or even ginger can be added to such a delicacy. A special taste comes out if you cook it in a mixture of water and natural cider. Any ingredients are added at the first stage of cooking and give new shades to a simple jam.

Jam can be prepared in the usual way. Fruits need to be minced and add an equal amount of granulated sugar to them, let stand. Such a jam is brewed in three stages of 5 minutes, with “breaks” on the 10-12 hours.

French jam in a slow cooker is proof that at home you can easily make a dessert, “like in the best houses of Paris”. Such a delicacy will have a delicate creamy taste and a unique aroma, and it is prepared simply and quickly. It will require:

• sugar – 3 glass;
• apples – 700 g;
• lemon – 1 piece;
• butter – 1 tablespoon.

Put the cubes of peeled apples into the bowl from the multicooker (peel can be left or removed – to taste), citrus cut into thin slices and all the sugar. The content should stand for a while, the juice will appear very quickly, so 30-40 minutes will suffice. After that, you need to install the bowl in the slow cooker and select the extinguishing mode. Apple jam should be prepared at least 1,5 hours, if the fruits are hard varieties, 2,5 is also possible.

When the allotted time comes, you need to remove the foam from the surface of the jam and add butter to it. Close the lid again and select the steam cooking mode. In this condition, the dessert should be cooked for another 6-7 minutes. The finished dish is packaged in a container for twisting hot, and the part to eat immediately to get acquainted with the new delights. Simple cooking unusual sweets.

“Paradise jam” is prepared from the prunes, they are also called Chinese or paradise. In fresh form, these fruits are not very suitable for consumption, but in the blanks for the winter are unique. To prepare you need to take:

• 1000 grams of sugar;
• 800 g of Chinese apples;
• citric acid;
• 250 ml water.

“Paradise” fruits need to be bruised well, get rid of low-quality and damaged. Selected mini-apples should be left with tails, each fruit pierced with a toothpick from the stem on the opposite side. In a separate container, you need to dilute the water and sugar, a quarter of a teaspoon of acid, put this mixture on the fire. In the meantime, apples should be laid out on a towel so that they dry out of excess fluid.

In boiled water with sugar, immerse the dried fruit, boil everything without stirring for 6-7 minutes. Then turn off the stove, and cover the paradise apple jam with a load and leave for 20-24 hours. After the desired amount of time, the dessert should be returned to the stove again and boil another 10 minutes. Ready delicacy to roll up hot in jars and wait for tasting.

Cooking application

The simplest way to use such a billet is, of course, with tea. But the use of jam or jam goes far beyond the usual tea. A dessert with whole slices is great for manna or rice pudding, it can be diluted with water and make natural jelly. Syrup from apple amber jam is suitable for impregnating cakes, and slices will be a very practical filling for pies and rolls.

No less tasty and fragrant pastries will be obtained from jam or jam. In addition to pies, it can be used for sweet baskets, wafer rolls, as a supplement to ice cream.

Dessert from paradise apples is simply indispensable for decorating homemade confectionery. In it, the fruits remain intact, but acquire a marmalade texture inside. They can decorate cakes, pastries, fruit salads. In addition, one such mini-apple will decorate a cocktail no worse than a cherry. Therefore, such a blank will be the best assistant in creating a chic festive table at home.

Security measures: contraindications and possible harm to the product

Fresh apples contain a large percentage of fruit acid. During the cooking process, this acid partially disappears, but even the remaining part is enough to harm the diseased stomach. Considering this, apple jam is not recommended for severe bowel and stomach diseases: gastritis, colitis, enteritis, peptic ulcer disease.

The main disadvantage of this product is the high content of fast carbohydrates. Apples themselves and a large amount of sugar in the billet form a high-calorie dessert. The content of kilocalories will depend on the recipe and the amount of refined sugar, in a classic 1: 1 combination, the value of one hundred grams of the dish is 265 kcal. Jam or jam contain a little less – about 240 kcal.

Due to the caloric content, such a product is desirable to carefully use or completely refuse for obesity. People with diabetes are strictly contraindicated such a delicacy. Refined sugar in the preparation can be replaced by safe analogues: Stevia, Erythritol, Stevioside, Mannitol and others. But even in this case, you need to consult with your doctor about the use of such a dessert.

Use and application in traditional medicine

In winter, such a treat will serve as a classic winter dessert and a prophylactic for colds. After a long heat treatment and preservation, apples retain some of the nutrients that are simply necessary in the winter. A considerable amount of vitamin C is preserved in jam and jam, due to which the usual lemon with honey can be replaced with a new tasty remedy.

Vitamins A and E are also here, albeit in a small concentration. These components fight to prolong youth, firm skin, improve vision and hair strength. In addition, they are useful for the work of internal organs. The functioning of the heart and blood vessels will be supported by minerals: magnesium and potassium. These microelements are useful for the nervous system and brain function.

There is enough iron in apple jam, so you don’t have to worry about your immunity. Iron also supports the functioning of the thyroid gland and central nervous system. Of the useful compounds here are selenium, zinc and calcium. Such a “tandem” provides strengthening of general immunity, improvement of reproductive function, improvement of bone tissue and blood composition.

In folk medicine, such a treat is used to lower cholesterol, with arthritis, arrhythmias, to prolong youth and the overall strengthening effect. For the sake of such a mass of useful properties and application possibilities, it is worth spending a little effort on preparing a simple but at the same time unusual dessert.