Marmalade

I always pressure cook the oranges before slicing/chopping them too. Even freezing them makes them softer than using straight away. In fact I do both - buy Seville oranges when they are in the shops and freeze them to use later, pressure cook them before cutting them up roughly, and then put them in a food processor to chop more finely.

I take out the pips before the food processor point, and boil them up again in a small amount of water, which I then strain into the mush and throw out the pips. I never had any problem with setting, so I must extract most of the pectin from the pips into the water. No faffing around with sticky muslin bags.

I tried a recipe last year that boils the oranges first, it was a revelation. I put them in the pressure cooker with just a little water, then when they had cooled, separated the (falling apart) skin and fruit from the pith and pips, which was put into a muslin bag and dangled over the side of the pan. The peel was so soft I was able to slice it into incredibly thin strips.

The result was - have you ever tried Mamade? Exactly like that.

OH the same week made lemon and lime marmalade, slicing as thinly as he could, but none of us eat it because the peel is still just too coarse for us to like it.

I dislike peel in marmalade. I have always used a jelly marmalade recipe from a book on making jams and jellies in the microwave by Sonia Allison. It's still in print I think.

jinglebellsfrocks Marmalade sandwiches! You could call yourself Paddington in your next GN incarnation.

Sigh! I am going to have to go and have a marmalade sandwich now.

MiL's recipe requires soaking pips in muslin bag overnight with juice, water and peel. Then it's all boiled up with sugar and the bag of pips squeezed out. It usually comes quite clear and has a good set. I tried a pink grapefruit marmalade using a quicker method similar to making jam and couldn't get a decent set at all. Will try it again using Jesss method.

Jess! I just wash my jars thoroughly and then again in the dishwasher. I warm them in the gas oven on the lowest setting. I have had no problems doing it this way.

Marmalade makers all!
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Do you cook up the pulp and seeds in muslin and and squeeze them out into the liquid to add pectin? does the finished marmalade stay clear?

I normal bottle my jams and stick the lid on straight away. When I tried this last year with the marmalade I found the sliced peel floated to the top.
There must be a temperature at which the mixture starts to cool and the peel is stuck.
How do others manage this?

Last years was made with Seville Oranges. It is very clear and tangy and that is just what I wanted. It might have been beginners luck. but I will try again.

I looked up on my jam shelf this morning. There is rather more Damson and Gooseberry jam up there than I had thought.

big chunky slicer setting on food processor. I have perfected the method
peel the oranges and slice as above
Stick the peel in the microwave with a drop of water until it is soft
Cut oranges in half and take out pips. (at this point you can boil and strain the pips to get the pectin which is scientifically interesting - ideal if you have a youthful helper)
or
buy a packet of pectin and throw the pips away.
boil or microwave the pulp.
stick it all in together with the sugar, water etc and then try hard to be patient and don't put in the jars too soon.

I soak jars and lids in slightly bleachy water and then drain them thoroughly and that seems to prevent interesting moulds etc. I find putting them in the oven a slightly scary prospect.

I have just made some using my mum's recipe. I used a magi mix instead of a mincer and it has turned out beautifully, in a fraction of the time!

You add water from the recipe of course.

I have very successfully used my Kenwood liquidiser to chonk it up.

But I buy it from DD' s church now.

I would have thought that a food processor would do the job, I always used mine when making home made mincemeat for Christmas.