making jam yourself is stupidly expensive.

[ToniAlto]

We've got a glut of apples so started investigating the internet and adding to basket all the bits and pieces I think I'd need.

I've come to the conclusion that each jar of applesauce would be roughly £12, obviously reducing if I store and reuse the jars and equipment for the next ten years.

AIBU to think that home made jam/sauce is stupidly expensive.

Ok, sorry! Ignorant of the jam making process.

Don’t peel, roughly chop the clean apples (don’t keep the core) place in ziploc bags and freeze. Yup they keep just fine for cooking. Make apple sauce or pies as needed.
no special pot just big enough make a batch of apple sauce. And freeze in ziploc bags flat. No sugar needed, cinnamon is nice.
I even reuse my freezer bags.

You ask friends and neighbours for old / spare jars, and give them some back filled to say thank you

This is exactly what I’d do - get completely sucked down a rabbit hole and be seriously considering buying the kind of equipment that you’d need an orchard and dedicated sales team to justify.

Only to realise that a sharp knife and a few used jars would do just fine 😂

And then I’d lose interest in jam because I’m busy wondering if I need to buy an overlocking machine as well as a sewing machine to make a Christmas stocking.

How on earth is that anything bit mildly anal? I'm trying to be reasonably lighthearted about it, but I think the tone of some posts on this thread is quite nasty. The OP has cheerfully admitted she thinks she got it wrong already; she just wants to learn how to do something that's new to her. Can't we be nice?

I would say there is a certain irony in people proudly telling the OP they buy enough shop-bought jam and pasta sauce to have spare jars, while simultaneously shaming her for ... not being sufficiently au fait with the processes of making your own jam/sauce. Like, come on! Let's all relax a bit.

Aldi (or Lidl) one of the two, sells their BM dupe jam in a very nice jar, that costs less than the OPs £2 kilner jars, but also come full of jam too.

We have a few of those for making up salad dressings and also can be used as drinking glasses like seen in fancy bars.

The small jars that you get mint sauce and similar in are good for storing things like spices. Plus they have the added advantage of being wide enough to get a spoon in, unlike stupid Schwartz jars.

You don't need any of that stuff. You need a big pan, a spoon and some (secondhand) jars.

It’s not “holier than thou”. It’s just basic common sense. Of course you can spend ££ on matching jars but it is wasteful. And this stupid argument that always crops up of “you can’t express any kind of opinion (or bleeding obvious fact) about wastefulness/the environment/sustainability unless you quite literally live in a tree and forage for every morsel that passes your lips”…it’s very tedious.

All my jam jars started life as jars full of olives, so they do mostly match.

OP, you can sterilise your jars by washing them and putting them in the oven at 160 degrees C while you cook your apples with a slosh of lemon juice.

With very tart Bramleys I add brown sugar, maybe a pinch of cinnamon, with sweeter ones I just make the puree as is, and I freeze it becauser it hasn't got the sugar to act as a preservative.

£60 for a jam pan!

I just bought a big pan for £5. The only other equipment I have is a funnel and a couple of big spoons.

I use a mix of new jars and recycled ones. I make tons of jam and give a lot away as thank you presents so I do like to have some nice jars.

Hmm, you didn’t exactly lower the temperature there @SarahAndQuack. Anyway, I’m glad the matter is resolved so I’ll leave the thread.
Enjoy your apples whatever you do with them, OP.

What's the difference between a jam pan and a big pan that you'd also use to boil potatoes or make stew in?

My top tip is make small batches whilst learning, there's less risk of burning.

Of course it isn't wasteful. You have to buy the jars at some point in the process; either you buy them empty cos you don't like shop-bought sauce or you buy them full because you do.

I think expressing opinions about waste is absolutely fine, and would have had no issue with polite 'hey, OP, don't worry about those US sites saying you need new jars, I use recycled ones and it's fine'. But instead I think some posters were just trying to make the OP feel small and stupid. That's not right.

We have loads of raspberry canes in the garden and in a good summer we can pick a kilogram or more of raspberries every day. We usually freeze them initially, then make big batches of jam later in the year, which we give away to family, friends, neighbours etc.

We use a large preserving pan that we've had for decades and we re-use jars. So the only costs are the sugar, the use of the gas hob for boiling the jam and the use of the oven for keeping the jars hot and sterile before they're filled.

Once you have your equipment (and you don't need much, just a large pan, a funnel, maybe a cooking thermometer if you feel the need) the costs are minimal if you're growing your own main ingredient yourself.

The shape, but it isn't necessary.

A jam pan has a wider shallower profile, possibly to evaporate off the top faster?

My understanding is that the shape of a dedicated jam pan is better for boiling sugar, though personally I don't think my preserve-making is sufficiently high-quality for me to notice or care about the difference! A jam pan is perfect for boiling a ham at Christmas though.

About £50 !

One of my best ever charity shop buys was a maslin pan for £4. Just taken it back to charity shop because the stupid induction hob in our new house doesn't like it

A preserving pan is usually larger and shallower, has no lid and usually has 2 handles.

You only need a crusher and press if you're making juice and/or cider. And even then you can mange fine with a food processor and press. Likewise, I have a preserving pan, but only tend to use it if I'm making vast quantities. For the amount of jam I usually make it's usually better to just use a standard large saucepan.

And like everyone else, with apples I usually just stew them up with a dash of water and freeze. I use old plastic takeaway cartons that stack nicely in the freezer and for jams/jellies/chutneys I have a cupboard full of old jars, some of which are decades old. Chutney tends to do for their lids though, so I do sometimes buy new lids, or if I can't find any to fit then just I use the plastic discs and elastic bands.

I don't do it to save money though; I do it because I enjoy the process and because it's incredibly satisfying to go to the cupboard and see an array of homemade preserves.

I make my jam in a saucepan on the hob. Just berries and sugar. Decant into sterilised jars that I keep from other things. That's all I use.

I made tons of apple sauce yesterday from windfall. About 30 apples, peeled and cubed, in a glass dish with 4 tbs sugar, 1tbs of water and microwave for 12 minutes. Then decant into freezer bags and freeze. The hardest part about it was peeling and chopping the apples.

I think you can make these things as easy or complicated as you want to really.

Use old jars and ask friends/family for their used jars too. You don't need any fancy equipment.

😂

This preserving pan is exactly like the one I have, in terms of size and shape. The shallow shape aids with the reduction of liquid as there's a much larger surface area than with a standard shaped saucepan.