Looking to better understand why your marmalade turned out the way it did? Let’s walk through some marmalade troubleshooting!
You’ve made your first batch of marmalade for the Mastery Challenge and it didn’t turn out as well as you’d hoped. Perhaps it was a little runnier that you wanted it to be. Or maybe it set up so firmly that you can barely slip the knife in. Did your batch yield a whole lot less than you thought it should? Let’s talk through some of these issues.
Let’s start at the top of the list. Your marmalade is sloshy rather than spreadable. When did you make the marmalade? It can sometimes take 24-48 hours for a batch to finish setting up. If your marm is still just an hour or two out of the canner and you’re worried about the set, walk away. Stop thinking about it for a little while. Check it again tomorrow.
So. You let the jars rest for a couple days and the marmalade still totally saucy. Next question. Did you follow a recipe or ratio? Marmalade is by its nature a high sugar preserve. When you reduce the sugar or use a natural sweetener, achieving set can be harder, because there may not be enough sugar present in the preserve to elevate the temperature to the 220F set point.
Did you check for set while the marmalade was cooking? Any time a recipe gives you a cooking time, it is only a general range. During cooking, you also need to be checking for signs of set. You do this by using the frozen plate test, watching how the marmalade sheets off the spatula, paying attention to how much it has reduced, and taking the temperature as it cooks.
What kind of pot did you cook the marmalade in? Like most sweet preserves, marmalades like to be cooked in low, wide pans. High sided pans with narrow openings will trap evaporating water and make it harder for the fruit to reduce. For small batches, try your biggest frying pan rather than a saucepan.
Let’s visit the other side of the coin. Do you feel like your marmalade is too firm? If it’s more candy than spread, chances are good that you overcooked it. If you were using a thermometer to monitor the cooking temperature and you never managed to get to 220F, but it bounces like a rubber ball, the thermometer might be to blame. If you think this is your problem, read this post.
Are you disappointed with your yield? Marmalade is labor intensive, so I understand how frustrating it can be when you yield less that you’d hoped. Know first that it’s totally normal for the same recipe to shift its yield about a cup in either direction every time you make it.
To help prevent short yields in the future, make sure that you’re monitoring the set, so that you can take the pot off the heat as soon as it becomes clear that your marmalade is going to set up. The longer you cook, the more product is evaporating away. Overcooked preserves yield less, so if you are a chronic underyielder, longer cook times could be your issue.
Other things that lead to short yields are reduced sugar, overzealous trimming (if you discard a goodly amount of your fruit while preparing it for cooking, you’re whittling down your yield), shorting your measurements, and aggressive tasting.
Let me know if you’ve had other issues as you worked through this first #fijchallenge. I’d be happy to do another one of these troubleshooting posts if you’re having issues I didn’t hit on here.
Yes I did follow a recipe. I actually put more than it ask for. I’ll try adding more water. Thanks.
Alright Marisa, help an old man out. first time trying this and it tastes good and set up well, there is no jelly component to it. I mean none. I used old oranges let it sit 24 hrs . added sugar cooked it on high toward the end…. What’s up
It sounds like you didn’t have enough liquid in the mix. Did you follow a recipe or technique?
I think
My marmalade has come out too thick. Can I cook it again in water to thin it?
You could, though if you’ve already canned it, it is typically better to thin each jar as you go to use it.
Thanks Marisa. It’s stored in a pantry in the garage which is cool. I’ve reboiled it but sadly it has lost its beautiful colour and now brownish. Tastes ok but still a bit runny. I’m sure my nephew and his flatmates will eat it 😜
That is the danger of reboiling! But I’m glad you have folks who will still happily eat it!
I made a batch of lime marmalade and it looked ok and temperature was correct. I’ve made the same recipe several times and it’s been fine. A month later I’ve gone to open a jar and it’s too runny. Falls off the toast. Can I reboil at this late stage in an attempt to make it firmer?
That’s very weird. Are you storing it in the fridge? It could be that if you’re keeping it on the counter, the warmth of your kitchen is causing it to be a little softer. I wouldn’t personally reboil it, but there’s no safety implication in doing so.
I made my first ever batch of Meyer lemon marmalade last year, and it was divine! This year I followed the same recipe, but the resulting marmalade texture was different. The jelly part of the marmalade was sort of chunky, like bits of jello. It’s soft like jello, not overly firm.
Would this happen from too much pectin? I didn’t add any commercial pectin but my lemons were quite seedy.
I’ve read you can reheat it with extra water but nothing more specific. Do I heat it on a low heat or high? Is too much pectin even fixable, if that is in fact the problem?
Help please!
Hmm. I’m honestly not entirely sure how to advise you. It could be that the jars were jostled or moved before the marmalade was finished setting up. You could definitely open up a jar, reheat it with a little water (or even some store bought lemonade so that you don’t dilute the flavor) and see what that does to the texture.
Hello, I’ve made lime & ginger marmalade. It’s set perfectly and is bottled,but is still a tad bitter although I added a tablespoon of honey above the required sugar amount. Can I empty back to a pot and reheat and strain the lime rind out….thanks
Marmalade is always going to be bitter. I’d suggest letting it stand for awhile to see if the flavor mellows over time. If you do decide you don’t like it, you can empty out the jars, reheat the preserve and remove the lime rind. But it may not set the same next time.
experienced marmalade home cook but this year my marmalade appear jelly like when cooked. The pectin was tested and was perfect. The marmalade is set but the texture is wrong. Same recipe for years. The weather has been cold and wet so maybe i picked my oranges when they were too unripe. Maybe too much acid? is this the issue?
I’m so sorry, but I don’t have a good grasp on the wrongness of the texture. Typically, people want it to have a jelly-like texture so I’m not sure of the issue.