Do you need jam sugar or pectin? If not how to you make jam set?

[BBno4]

I want to make jam but the sugar is £2.30 v £1 granulated sugar.

Is there another way?

What fruit are you planning on making jam with? Some fruits are naturally higher in pectin. Not a very experienced jam maker here. My induction hob mitigates against getting the jam as hot as needed so I use the bread maker and this leads to a softer set anyway.

I use ordinary sugar and add the juice of a lemon to help setting. Not all fruits need it, you can check online which do.

Could you add apples as they have some pectin in them?

But, why would you decide to make jam if you’re not prepared to get the ingredients needed?

Many fruit already have enough pectin so the jam sugar isn't needed. Often some lemon juice can help. I never use jam sugar with added pectin, just ordinary granulated sugar. Strawberry jam is the only one which needs a bit of a help and I use lemon juice for that

I have the ingredients, the jam sugar and loads of plums.

But if I want to this this regularly I was wondering if there was a better way.

I make a LOT of jam and I've never bought jam sugar in over 30 years of doing it! As someone has said already, add the juice of a lemon, or some apple.

I have an induction hob and have no problem making either jam or chutney. The hob gets hot enough with no problem.

As regards the pectin question, yes, check online which fruits need pectin. I make apple jam, no extra pectin needed and you don't see it in shops.

If you add a fruit that is high in pectin, you don’t need to worry about adding pectin, or using jam sugar. I make a mixed berry jam with the forest fruits type of frozen mixes you get in the supermarket. I just use the frozen mix with regular sugar. The red currants are higher in pectin and that balances out the strawberries which are lower in pectin. The jam sets fine. If you are using an all low pectin fruit mix, that’s when it needs a wee bit of help with pectin levels.

Plums are high pectin, so normal sugar will be fine. Add the juice of half a lemon to give it a helping hand if you'd like.

Granulated is better than caster for jam, as it dissolves slower, giving a clearer jam, but caster will do the job if that's what you've got.

Because plums have a tough skin (compared to e.g. strawberries), boil the fruit by itself (no sugar) for 10-15 mins first before adding the sugar. Boiling it with sugar from the beginning will toughen the skin further.

When the jam has reached setting point and you're ready to jar, leave it to cool for ten minutes before jarring. This will stop the 'bits' floating to the top.

Plums are high in pectin, the jam will set fine.

Plum jam sets very easily with lemon juice IMO. If you cook the plums with the stones, the stones also help release pectin for setting. I count the plums into the pan, then, once the plums have fallen apart in cooking, count the stones as I fish them out.

Agree with PPs, plums have plenty of pectin. If you are planning on using other fruit in the future with low pectin, you can by it as a powder and make your own 'jam sugar'.

Thank you, I will save the jam sugar then and use normal.

This. But I crack the stones and wrap the kernels in a bit of muslin so they are easy to fish out.

Boil it to buggery in t’ microwave!

The last time I made plum jam it set very well. 5:4 fruit to sugar, so in my case 200g fruit, 160g ordinary sugar to make jam from a few over-ripe plums.
Five minutes full power, blitz with hand blender so some of the skin turns into jelly. One minute blasts until it’s the right consistency. Success.

I see you’re making a large amount, but the same idea should work.

If you're making loads, it's far easier to make 2 or 3 batches from a boiling/setting POV than one huge batch

Plums are high in pectin anyway so it will set. You could squeeze a little lemon juice in to be sure but plum jam is the easiest jam to make. Don't let it set too firm.

I'd say avoid pectin with plums - easy to make it set like a rock if you're not careful. Of course I would never do that...

Or you could just halve a lemon and chuck it in, of course. Then fish it out at the end.

If you overboil it, just keep going and make plum paste for your Christmas cheese board.