Help from jam makers please!

[judydawn]

judy, it wasn't running into that part of the machine (where the bowl fits in)
it was running down the outside back and then in under the feet and as it was really thick and sticky it slowly seeped under and through the holes in teh bottom of it . sorry, hard to describe! i should have taken a pic but i was all sticky too LOL
i think it's not somehting that would happen with somehting less thick and sticky

Glad it didn't get into the workings, sounds pretty messy though and an invite to any ants looking for somewhere to go   I always seem to get tiny ants in my kitchen in the build-up to Christmas so I'm being extra careful to make sure there are no hidden nasties under or behind my TMX.

[andiesenji]

We have a significant problem with ants here in the Mojave desert in the summer months - they also seem to like computer towers in addition to appliances and have been especially attracted to my toaster and the microwave. 

We use what are called rubber caster cups here.  They come in various sizes and fit most feet on mixers and other appliances - my Vita-Mix blender has been on its own set of casters for years - makes it even taller than it already is.
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/icat/caster-cups-and-furniture-cups/

The deterrent for ants is to swipe the top and inner edges with Vick's Vaporub or a mentholatum ointment and renew it every two to three months. 

The ones I use on my countertops, both the granite and the butcherblock, are non-skid so with machines that tend to "walk," such as my big dough mixer, they are kept in place. 

[judydawn]

Thanks for the hint of using Vicks to deter ants andiesenji - I have tried so many other things without success.  I usually stand my honey pot in a container of water in the pantry - that works. To keep them off the bench, well I just haven't had much luck.  Will try this idea at first sign of the Christmas invasion.

[brazen20au]

thanks andie, will keep my eye out for those castors!!!

no particular ant probs here thank goodness (just slow little flies inside constantly lol)

[achookwoman]

Have just read through all the posts on jam making.    What wonderful information !   As has been suggested ,to make jam to a consistency that each individual likes, a balance between the fruit,sugar and water must be achieved.   The challenge is to get this right.   Not enough pectin,  it will not set without some help - lemon, citric acid, Jamsetta or even vinegar.    Too much liquid - drain off some as the T.M ,even with the cup out, doesn't allow for as much evaporation as stove top.      If using an existing recipe,  use 1/2 or even 1/4 of fluid suggested.   We like our jam , not too.
 sweet.   So I use 3/4 of sugar to bulk of mixture.   [look at measurement on side of T.M bowl,   and work out 3/4 of this].   As 'insurance' I add 1/2 packet of Jamsetta.    I then continue to cook on 100 and/or Veroma depending how it looks.   I continue to test until desired set is achieved.

For interesting recipes ,  try 'Windfalls' by Sue Ruchel.   AIRD BOOKS Melbourne.   Mine was a gift,  but I think it came from St. Erth
It has recipes for dried apricot jam,   dried apricot and pumpkin jam and many others.

Sorry about the typing,  but am still learning to use the computer,   and would not have got this far if not for the most generous help of Judydawn

[judydawn]

And, may I say, you are doing beautifully this afternoon achookwoman.  You have so much knowledge when it comes to cooking that you must share it with the rest of the forum.  They will be all ears.  Your computer skills will improve, we all have to start from somewhere. 

[brazen20au]

made strawberry jam today and used 750g berries, 500g sugar, a splash of vanilla vodka (which you couldn't taste) and after about 1.5 hours i finally remembered to add 25g jamsetta LOL another hour later and it was perfect

and it didn't leak everywhere!

[cookie1]

Thank goodness.

[Thermomixer]

We use what are called rubber caster cups here.  They come in various sizes and fit most feet on mixers and other appliances - my Vita-Mix blender has been on its own set of casters for years - makes it even taller than it already is.
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/icat/caster-cups-and-furniture-cups/

They are certainly available in Australia as we use them under the legs of chairs/tables - especially with casters to protect the flooor/carpet - we used to have them for the piano too.

Vicks sounds good - thanks

[Thermomixer]

Sorry about the typing,  but am still learning to use the computer,   and would not have got this far if not for the most generous help of Judydawn

Good to have you contributing - don't worry too much about the typing, but remeber to use the Shift Key and 9 to get a rounded bracket "(" and Shift Key and 0 to get a ")" - and avoid the [ and ] or you might end up getting all your typing with a line through the middle again 

Don't forget to introduce yourself too !!  You are inspirational - like andiesenji - hope my mind is still as acute in 15 years.

[Thermomixer]

made strawberry jam today and used 750g berries, 500g sugar, a splash of vanilla vodka (which you couldn't taste) and after about 1.5 hours i finally remembered to add 25g jamsetta LOL another hour later and it was perfect

and it didn't leak everywhere!

*jumping for joy* yippee - the TMX lives to cook another day.   

Add the vanilla vodka after it has set and cooled a bit to keep more of that flavour - same goes for adding grog like Grand marnier to marmalade, whisky in marmalade and Kirsch/Framboise to strawberry jam etc

[brazen20au]

ahhh brilliant, of course! thanks tmxer, will do

[CarolineW]

Too much liquid - drain off some as the T.M ,even with the cup out, doesn't allow for as much evaporation as stove top.      If using an existing recipe,  use 1/2 or even 1/4 of fluid suggested. 

Another way around this is to not use the measuring cup in the lid, but instead to put the internal steaming basket there.  It allows for evaporation, but stops the splashes.

[andiesenji]

I have many cookbooks for jams and jellies, collected over the 50 years that I have been collecting cookbooks.

Several years ago I got Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber   and spent over a year cooking my way through it.
I found that while many of the recipes are simple, she does not explain some things in detail and assumes one has a bit more than the basic experience in making jams and jellies.  Not exactly the best book for the novice. 


A few months ago I purchased the newly published  "Joy of Jams, Jellies and other Sweet Preserves" by Linda Ziedrich  as it was recommended to me  by a friend who had seen my post on another food forum, asking for a recipe for cantaloupe jam.  And this one is much better for the novice.

Since the book has been in my kitchen, I have made the cantaloupe jam with great success.  I also made the Banana jam with ginger, raisins and rum - jarred in small containers for my holiday gift baskets along with  a few jars of Coconut-Caramel jam. 
For my own consumption I made a batch of the Eggplant Preserves, which taste nothing like eggplant and Rose Hip butter - one of my friends raises roses organically for the hips which he supplies to an organic food supplement manufacturer.  As he is also a bee contractor, he has no problem with pollination. 

She includes a recipe for homemade pectin made with apples, crabapples or quince as well as  pectin made from Valencia oranges. 

It also includes an interesting recipe for Green tomato preserves but I am going to stick with my old family recipe, mostly used for pie filling, because I can prepare it in my sleep!

I have her earlier book on pickling and will be ordering the revised version. 

[Thermomixer]

Does the eggplant taste nice - even though not like eggplant?  I made an eggplant and cheese sauce last night to go with a middle-eastern lamb dish.