Jam not set - can I tip it back in the pot and boil some more?

[hepsitemiz]

Hello, my first time making cherry jam and I followed a simple online recipe that did not mention using the stones for added pectin.

I reduced the sugar required by about a fifth, a tactic I usually get away with when making marmalade. To improve chances of setting, I added a French product called Vitpris which is simply natural pectin in powdered form, and boiled for ten minutes longer than the online recipe called for.

I now have six jars of sweet cherry soup.

Can I tip it all back into the pot and boil for longer?

If I do this, should I also add in some more sugar and Vitpris whilst I'm at it? I was cautious with the Vitpris as it was not called for by the online recipe. I added about half the amount of Vitpris that the packet instructions recommend.

Appreciate any advice!

Adjusting recipes for jam or baking is generally not a great idea (I say this as someone who almost never follows a savoury recipe exactly!). So I would calculate what you should have put in and make that up, reheat and test for set. The sugar content is important for preservation purposes rather than set; if you want reduced sugar there are recipes for low sugar jams which you freeze as they don't naturally last so long.

Oh, thank you Una. I will do that. I didn't realise about the preservation thing. I'll add the rest of the sugar, perhaps some more Vitpris, and see what happens.

I'm not that great at the testing for set - I can always persuade myself that it's passed the test when it hasn't. Conversely, I have also been known to produce a jam that is over-set, if that makes sense...

When I made plum jam at school, many many years ago, it did not set. The teacher told me to pour it back in the pan and reboil it. Yes it did set.
I think you should have used the stones by tying them up in a small muslin bag. This can be added to the pan and removed later.
I haven’t made jam for years. I don’t think home made jam is any better than good shop bought jam.

Yes you can but reheat it carefully, stirring. I use the juice of a lemon for pectin btw.

Thank you everyone!

Update, I poured it all back in the pot, added some more Vitpris (there already was sufficient lemon juice in the mixture from the outset), boiled as per the instructions on the Vitpris package and it set perfectly. In fact it set quite hard - but the flavor is really intense!

Re the quality of shop-bought stuff, I quite agree normally but these were cherries hand picked in great quantities by my neighbours’ kids… more cherries than we could have eaten before them turning… oh and I do also make my own marmalade as I can get good results using a lower sugar content than anything you can buy (and can also play around adding ginger, whisky or rum!)