In what container to cook jam. Cast iron cookware Is it possible to cook jam in a cast iron cookware?

You won’t be able to clean a new boiler with detergents like enamel cookware. Remaining oil can be removed from the surface, but what about grease that has been absorbed into the pores of cast iron or aluminum? Of course, you shouldn’t abandon this processing method: it is the first stage of the primary preparation of the cauldron. You cannot use modern products that contain substances hazardous to health to wash it. The reason for this is the same high porosity of the walls and bottom of the boiler. Oil can be easily removed from the surface with warm water and harmless laundry soap.

The cauldrons will be ready for use after heat treatment

Now all that remains is to deep clean the aluminum and cast iron cookware. After it, the internal surfaces of kitchen utensils will acquire the properties of a non-stick coating. Boilers cast from cast iron will receive anti-corrosion resistance.

The cauldrons will be ready for use after heat treatment. Its technology is common to both types of cookware, but aluminum should be heated with greater caution. Lightweight cauldrons are not able to withstand the high temperature at which cast iron cauldrons are calcined. This is one of the reasons why you should choose only thick-walled aluminum boilers. Dishes with thin walls are not suitable for cooking over a strong open fire. Its service life is very limited.

Cauldrons must be calcined every time before you start cooking food in them, and not just after purchase. Cast iron utensils are more suitable for extreme conditions of this kind, while aluminum ones are its cheaper analogue.

2 How to prepare a new cauldron

It is better to prepare the cauldron for the first use outdoors, as during this process both smoke and a strong smell appear. Sometimes you have to bake dishes at home. In these cases, it is necessary to ensure intensive ventilation of the room. It is better to warm up the boiler with the hood turned on at full power.

The most popular method of primary cleaning of a cauldron is as follows:

Its walls and bottom are washed with a sponge or soft cloth dipped in soapy water, then the surfaces are wiped dry.
About 1 kg of table salt is poured into the cauldron. It is evenly distributed along the bottom.
The dishes are placed on high heat. It can be calcined in a special oven or fire. At home, the cauldron is heated on a gas stove.
High-temperature treatment of the boiler continues for half an hour. The salt needs to be mixed several times.
After some time, the salt begins to darken. Acting as an absorbent, it absorbs vapors from industrial grease and other substances released from the metal during the calcination of cookware.
After the procedure, remove the cauldron from the heat and add salt. The cooled dishes are washed and dried.
Any vegetable oil is poured into the cauldron. For a small 6-liter boiler, 300 ml of oil is enough, and in a 12-liter boiler you need to pour at least 600-700 ml.
The characteristic smell and the appearance of white smoke above the cauldron signals that the dishes are sufficiently heated. It is heated for about 30 minutes over medium heat, periodically tilting the boiler in one direction or another so that the oil washes all its internal surfaces.
After removing the kitchen utensils from the heat, pour out the oil. The cooled cauldron is washed and dried.

3

The boiler can be cleaned in another way. This method is more suitable for preparing for the first use of aluminum cauldrons. It looks like this:

washed and dried dishes are placed in an oven preheated to 180-190°C;
after some time, smoke will appear from it (this means that the oil on the walls of the utensil has begun to burn out);
if the smoke disappears, the oven can be turned off;
The cooled cauldron is washed with warm water;
oil or salt is poured into the dried cauldron;
The dishes are placed on medium-intensity fire and calcined;
then it is washed and dried.

Another way to clean a cauldron is in a preheated oven.

It should be remembered that you cannot wash a hot cauldron with cold water. Sudden temperature changes can cause cracks in cast iron. To dry washed dishes faster, you can warm them up by placing them on low heat.

4 Creating a non-stick coating

After calcination, during which the remains of factory lubricant and accompanying substances burn out on the surface and in the pores of the metal, the cauldron undergoes another processing. At this stage, its internal surfaces acquire non-stick properties. The procedure is as follows:

the dry boiler is generously lubricated with vegetable oil;
The dishes are placed on a fabric that absorbs them well;
oil drips from the walls are removed;
so that its remains can drain, the cauldron is turned upside down;
preheat the oven to 180°C;
an inverted cauldron is placed in it (it is better to place a tray or lay foil under it);
You need to fry the dishes for at least 3 hours.

A kind of film forms on the walls and bottom of the cauldron, which will prevent food from burning. After this treatment, the boiler is ready for first use.

Calcination of the cauldron with oil before each cooking is carried out to restore the non-stick coating. While warming up kitchen utensils, it also performs hygienic tasks: food residues and pathogens that were not washed from the last time are destroyed.

During the ripening season of berries and fruits, many housewives begin to engage in canning. However, not every woman knows in which container it is better to cook jam. After reading this article, you will learn a lot of interesting things on this issue.

Pan or basin?

Many young housewives who have decided to start making homemade food for the first time often have the question: “In what container is it better to cook jam?” As a rule, pots or basins are used for these purposes. Moreover, each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, a saucepan is more convenient to use. In addition, it takes up much less space on the hob or work surface.

The advantage of the basin is its maximally open surface, which provides better evaporation of excess liquid. Thanks to this feature, the jam prepared in it will be thicker. Moreover, the berries or fruits themselves will remain intact.

Preferred container sizes

Those who don’t know what kind of container is best to cook jam in will probably be interested in the fact that it is advisable to do this in a shallow bowl with a flat, wide bottom. Moreover, its volume can vary from two to six liters. It is not recommended to prepare jam in large basins, since many types of berries, including raspberries and strawberries, can squash under their own weight. As a result, you will end up with an unaesthetic boiled mass.

In addition, a container that is too large will take a long time to heat up, resulting in an increase in cooking time and a deterioration in the quality of the final product. Since many types of jam require repeated boiling, the pan used for this purpose must have a lid. It will provide additional protection from dust and insects.

Materials used to make such pans

Modern stores offer a fairly wide range of different containers. Therefore, those who do not know which container is better may mistakenly purchase something that is not exactly what they need. To avoid such troubles, you should first familiarize yourself with the features of a particular material.

Many fruits and berries contain large amounts of organic acids, which serve as a catalyst for corrosion processes. Therefore, special requirements are imposed on the containers used for their preparation. For those who do not know in which container it is better to cook berry jam, we can recommend buying a hygienic enameled or one. However, the first option has a relatively short service life. If you notice that even a small crack has appeared on the surface of the enamel, it is advisable to get rid of such a container.

The most suitable material is considered to be. Basins made from it can be recommended to anyone who cannot decide which vessel is best to cook in. Such containers are resistant to the acids contained in almost all berries and fruits.

What basins and pans are unsuitable for making jam?

Copper containers, which have long been considered the best utensils for home preparation, are not entirely suitable for these purposes. As mentioned above, fruits contain an increased concentration of acids. Recent studies have shown that they are able to dissolve the patina that forms on the surface of pans. Therefore, those who have not yet decided in which container it is better to cook jam should not do it in copper basins.

Aluminum containers are also categorically unsuitable for these purposes. Fruit acid helps to destroy the oxide film formed on the walls of the vessel. As a result of a complex chemical process, aluminum molecules are released, which subsequently end up in the finished product.

After preparing fruit or berry jam, you need to thoroughly wash the pan, rinse it with hot water and dry it thoroughly. If you plan to prepare several batches of product from one type of raw material during the day, then washing the dishes is not necessary.

The enamel container should not be cleaned using harsh chemicals. You need to pour soda into it, add water and boil. After this, it is removed from the stove and left until the morning.

Stainless steel pans are scratch resistant. Therefore, you can use powdered products to wash them. For example, they can be cleaned perfectly with regular salt. It is poured into a dirty container, filled with water, boiled and left for several hours. Then the contaminated areas are treated with a wire brush or hard sponge.

You can remove the remains of burnt jam using the husk. To do this, you need to boil a whole unpeeled onion in a bowl. The unpleasant odor that appears during this procedure disappears very quickly.

Quince jam with lemon zest

Ingredients

1 kg of quince, 1 kg of sugar, 2–3 g of citric acid, zest of 1 lemon, 1 bag of vanilla sugar.

Cooking method

Wash the quince, remove the core, cut into slices. Pour 500 ml of water into a cauldron, bring to a boil, add sugar, boil the syrup. Add quince, citric acid, cook for 20 minutes, add vanilla sugar and lemon zest, cook for another 5-10 minutes. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Cherry jam with raisins

Ingredients

1 kg of cherries, 50 g of raisins, 1.5 kg of sugar, 5 g of citric acid.

Cooking method

Wash the cherries, remove the pits. Pour 800 ml of water into a cauldron, add sugar, boil the syrup. Place cherries and raisins in boiling syrup and cook for 5-10 minutes. After 3 hours, put the jam on the fire again, cook until the desired thickness and add citric acid a few minutes before it is ready. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Apricot jam with almonds

Ingredients

1 kg apricots, 1 kg sugar, 50 g sweet almonds.

Cooking method

Wash apricots, remove pits. Pour 500 ml of water into a cauldron, add sugar, boil the syrup.

Place apricots in boiling syrup and cook for 10 minutes. Leave for 4-5 hours, add almonds, cook for 15 minutes. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Orange peel jam

Ingredients

1 kg of oranges, 800 g of sugar.

Cooking method

Wash and peel the oranges. Cut the peel.

Pour 500 ml of water into a cauldron, add sugar, boil the syrup, put orange peels in it, bring to a boil. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Vanilla jam from dark grapes

Ingredients

1 kg of dark grapes, 1–1.5 kg of sugar, 2–3 g of citric acid, vanillin on the tip of a knife.

Cooking method

Wash the grapes and blanch in boiling water for 1 minute. Pour 800 ml of water into a cauldron, add sugar, boil the syrup. Place the grapes in boiling syrup, bring to a boil, and leave for 5–8 hours.

Add citric acid and vanillin and bring to a boil again. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Pear jam with lemon juice

Ingredients

1 kg of pears, juice of 1 lemon, 0.8–1 kg of sugar.

Cooking method

Wash, peel, core, undamaged ripe pears, cut into small pieces and place in layers in a cauldron, sprinkling each layer with sugar and adding lemon juice.

Remove the pears, bring the resulting juice to a boil, remove the foam and add the pears. Cook for 20–25 minutes. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Melon jam

Ingredients

1 kg melon, 1 kg sugar.

Cooking method

Wash the melon, peel it, cut it into small pieces, put it in an enamel pan and put it in a cold place for 2 hours.

Pour water (800 ml) into a cauldron, add sugar, boil the syrup, put the melon in it and leave for 2 hours. Remove the melon pieces with a slotted spoon and boil the syrup, skimming off the foam that forms during boiling.

Place the melon pieces in boiling syrup and cook until transparent. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Peach jam with apples and nuts

Ingredients

1 kg of peaches, 500 g of sliced apples, 1.5 kg of sugar, 200 g of ground walnut kernels.

Cooking method

Wash the peaches, remove the pits. Pour 500 ml of water into a cauldron, add sugar, boil syrup, put peaches in it, cook for 5 minutes. Add blanched apples and walnuts and cook for another 15 minutes. Pour the jam into prepared jars and close with sterilized lids.

Lemon jam

Ingredients

1 kg lemons, 1.5 g sugar.

Cooking method

Wash the lemons, cut into thin slices, removing the seeds, put in a cauldron, pour in water (1.2 l) and cook until the peel softens, then remove. Pour 1 kg of sugar into the lemon decoction, boil and add another 300 g of sugar. Cool the resulting syrup, pour it over the lemons, and leave for 24 hours. Place the lemons in a jar. Add the remaining sugar to the syrup and boil. Pour the slightly cooled syrup into jars with lemons and close the lids.

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How wonderful it is in the summer, when berries and fruits ripen all around. You can enjoy the juicy fruits to your heart’s content and enrich yourself with nutrients you love. But the sunny season does not last forever, and sooner or later it will be replaced by a long winter.

Sweet treats will disappear from the shelves, and with them the main source of vitamins. The only way to preserve them is to process the wonderful gifts of nature and make a product with a longer shelf life. The ideal candidate for this role is jam.

You can make this dessert from any berries and fruits. There are also a lot of recipes. But during the cooking process, a number of insidious questions may arise, one of them is - in which container is it better to cook jam?

Choosing dishes

The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing a container is the material from which it is made. The quality of the finished jam and the preservation of the nutrients that nature has so generously endowed with fruits and berries will depend on it.

In addition, the sweet dessert is cooked differently in different containers. And thinking through all the possible nuances in advance is much easier than cleaning up burnt jam.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is not called food grade steel for nothing. It does not react with food even after prolonged exposure to high temperatures. Therefore, it will not destroy the beneficial substances contained in the berries.

The second known property of the common material is resistance to food acids. This means you don’t have to be afraid of the harmful effects of acids contained in berries and fruits. The basin will not undergo oxidation and will serve its owner for many years.

Any experienced cook will say without a shadow of a doubt that stainless steel cookware is the best option for making jam!

Aluminum

But it’s better to avoid such dishes! Its surface is covered with an oxide film that is unable to withstand the destructive effects of acids, which are so rich in natural gifts.

As a result, the film will dissolve, and the metal that it safely held will be completely free. Therefore, if you do not want to eat dessert with metal particles, avoid aluminum cookware.

But, if there is no other option, there is no need to be upset. Boil the jam in an aluminum pan, just don't keep them together for too long. It is better to immediately pour the finished product into jars and wash the basin. And remember, cleaning products for washing dishes made from such metal should not contain iron.

Copper

Surely, many remember how carefully their grandmother treated her copper utensils. It was for them, a kind of family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation.

The fact is that natural copper is very expensive, but it has special properties, namely high thermal conductivity and durability.

When cooking in such a basin, the jam will heat up evenly and will not burn.

But such dishes also have flaws:

Copper ions destroy valuable ascorbic acid contained in fresh fruits.
And its oxides, which are harmful to the human body, can penetrate into the jam itself.

However, if there is an urgent need to cook dessert in such a container, the main thing is to thoroughly wash and polish the basins every time. And also do not store the finished product in them.

Teflon coating

Such dishes appeared relatively recently, but have already earned the title of the most durable. With careful handling, its minimum service life exceeds 10 years. In addition, the structure of the material, slightly reminiscent of a honeycomb, increases the heating surface and promotes uniform boiling of the jam.

A saucepan made of high-quality material will be a good substitute for a stainless steel basin. Especially when you need to make just a little jam.

The only “but” is that it cannot be overheated! Therefore, unfortunately, it is not suitable for uninterrupted cooking of large volumes of jam.

Ceramics

The main advantage is uniform heating and cooking of jam. Also, a ceramic pan can withstand sudden temperature changes and has a long service life.

But it takes a long time to cool, so while cooling the jam it is better to pour it into another container.

Enameled coating

Another type of vessel in which to cook jam. But here too there are some nuances.

If the dishes are new, you don’t have to worry about the quality of your favorite dessert. But over time it undergoes critical changes.

Enamel is a weak material. When constantly heated to a high temperature, it cracks, and pieces of the substance can get into the food, completely unnoticed by our eyes.

The iron, which is located under the enamel, begins to interact with the elements of the products. As a result, such a useful and important vitamin C for humans is almost completely destroyed.

And of course, another disadvantage of the irreversible process is the burning of jam in places of damage. Even if these are almost imperceptible chips and cracks, it will not be so easy to wash them off from carbon deposits.

However, despite such significant disadvantages, enamel dishes are an ideal option for settling jam. This is appropriate if you are preparing dessert using reusable cooking technology.

An equally important detail that you need to pay attention to is the shape of the dishes:

Choose a shallow bowl, as too thick a layer of food will cook unevenly.
The wider the bottom, the better. With a large area of contact with the fire, the basin will heat up faster and more evenly, therefore, the lower section of the jam will not be overcooked.
To prevent it from burning, choose a basin with a whole, even, flat bottom. Otherwise, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort scraping off carbon deposits in cracks and gaps.
Since jam is a sweet and aromatic product, all the “sweet tooth” from the area flock to it: bees, wasps, bumblebees. An ordinary lid will protect them from their curiosity.

If you make jam often, purchase a divider. With his helpThis will prevent the product from burning, and also distribute the temperature evenly throughout the bottom of the basin.

Properly selected utensils will help you prepare tasty, high-quality and truly healthy jam, the magical properties of which we so need in the winter cold. It’s such a pity to waste wonderful berries!