my homemade marmalade is SO good I'm struggling to stop myself eating it by the spoonful but...

[hatwoman]

it didn't set. It tastes fantastic. but why didn;t it set? I've been out today to buy another kg of sevilles and some preservng sugar to try again.

You could try reboiling it if you can be arsed to get it back out of the jars.

Did you do the test with the cold plate and seeing if the marmalade wrinkled etc before you bottled it?

My second boiling took a full hour on a rolling boil until the marmalade set.

No idea, but if it didn't set you might as well eat it by the spoonful. Or maybe on ice-cream?

Mine took ages as well. About 45 mins on a rolling boil.

Make sure if you're using special sugar that you buy the right thing. Preserving sugar is just bigger crystals (gives a clearer jam) but jam sugar has added pectin, which will help it to set.

I did the test thing and, I have to admit, it wasn't wrinkling much. I also used a thermometer whcih seemed to be the right temp. I didn't know there was a difference between preserving sugar and jam sugar - the first lot was the latter, but this time I bought jam sugar so maybe that will be better. Like I said though I am loving the stuff. I'm hooked now. It's better than Frank Coopers Vintage.

I dont think citrus fruit should need extra pectin. I once used the jam with pectin and whatever it was I was making came out rock solid.
Boil it longer till it is wrinkling more (nag nag)

Having said that, I like runnyish jam and marmalade a la continental preserves.

Yes, my raspberry jam made with jam sugar could have been eaten with a knife and fork. You shouldn't really need it with marmalade, if you boil it long enough.

You could bung a couple of lemons in the next lot. I think that ups the pectin levels.

Recipe please, Hatwoman. I love making things like this but have never done marmalade.

I can't give you a conclusive answer until I have tested it - please PM me and I will give you my lab address.

recipe

I have no muslin. Can I use a clean teatowel?

Sorry, meant to say thank you

grockle - I'm no expert but I think a towel would be too thick - after the first boiling you have to sqeeze as much goo (for want of a better word) out of the muslin and I think that would be hard. I suppose you could transfer the contents to a seive perhaps? Or use some other fabric - an old t-shirt would be better than a towel.

An old linen tea towel would be fine (provided it isn't too closely woven).
I still think my method (softening the oranges first) is easier - no need for any muslin then.

Great stuff, isn't it, homemade marmalade. You will probably find that longer boiling will make it set. You can reboil it, it won't harm it.

Do you put anything in it to make it keep? I usually freeze it in small batches as it doesn't keep very well (or I am just a bit crap at cleaning jars before use).

Lilymaid, how do you soften them first? I might try to get some muslin at the weekend.

Oooh I've just jarred mine - hope it sets OK. It too tastes great. Nice and tart, I don't like it too sweet.

That Waitrose recipe normally works for me (I use a thermometer). It is so good I am going to make a second batch this weekend.

You could always use the unset marmalade in Nigella's Chocolate Orange cake

I soften mine in a pressure cooker, but you can apparently also use a slow cooker or an ordinary pan (obviously the time to soften the oranges will vary and you may need more liquid). The recipe I use is:

1kg seville oranges
2 lemons
2 kg granulated sugar
2 litres water

Wash/scrub oranges and lemons. Put in pressure cooker with 1.3 litres water and bring to pressure. Cook for 20 minutes and release pressure slowly.
Drain off the liquid into a large jug and keep.
Slice fruit in two, scoop/scrape out pips and pith. Put pips and pith back into pressure cooker. Add 0.7 litres water and simmer for a further 30 minutes, then put through a sieve, retaining the liquid.
Meanwhile cut up peel with knife.
Put peel, both lots of liquid (should be around 1.5 litres) and sugar into preserving pan, stir until sugar is dissolved then boil. Keep on a rolling boil for 20 minutes before testing (cold saucer). If not wrinkling, then boil for another 5 minutes and retest (and so on).
Leave for at least 45 minutes before potting to ensure that the peel doesn't all rise to top of jar.

I find this method makes it much easier to cut up the fruit (and is kinder to the hands). It sounds like a faff, but doesn't take longer than most methods and can be done in stages over a day/weekend.

misscph how do you mean it doesn't keep? The whole point of marmalade is to keep!
Do you wash the jars and then stick them in the oven for a bit to sterilise first?
Also if you get the lids on while it's still hot then you create a seal.

I agree with having boiled oranges to help the chopping process. There's a Delia seville recipe where you boil the oranges up first for a couple of hours, keep the water. Open up the oranges, scrape out innards, finely slice up the peel and chuck back into the cooking water. You squeeze the pith and pips through a muslin into it all, add the sugar and off you go.

Delia

I'm making more this weekend too. My mum just came round and he said it was set . it's not completely liquid but it doesn't have that jelly-like attribute that bought stuff has. I've already eaten my way through a jar and a half