Clear Jel: Clear Jel®, a corn starch derivative, is a commercial thickening product used by bakeries and for frozen food. This product is used the same as flour or corn starch. There are two types of Clear Jel® available, “instant” and “regular”. “Instant” does not require heat to thicken. The product will thicken once the liquid is added. "Regular”, on the other hand, must be heated. This is generally the preferred type to use in products to be canned.The advantage is that it is more cost effective and often requires less than half (sometimes ¼) the amount of sugar that Pectin requires. It also lasts indefinitely.
General Directions: Replace cornstarch, flour, and tapioca as thickener with Clear Jel by: Adding Clear Gel slowly to hot or cold liquid using a wire whisk. Stir until smooth. Allow 10 minutes for cold liquids to reach maximum thickness. Refrigerate or freeze finished produces for future use if desired.
Conversion ratio:
1 tbsp. cornstarch=1 1/2 tbsp. Instant Clear Jel
2 tbsp. flour or tapioca= 1 tbsp. Instant Clear Jel
Advantages:
• It is clear in color when cooked.
• It has excellent stability.
• It remains smooth.
• It prevents liquid separation and curdling after foods have been frozen.
• Cream sauces, custard, and puddings may be frozen with excellent results.
Advantages:
• It is less expensive than pectin.
• The amount of sugar may be adjusted without losing the jelling capacity.
• Recipes may be doubled, tripled or halved.
• The jam may be frozen or processed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Hints:
• Using Clear Jel® in making jams and jellies is not an exact science. Many factors influence the quality of the product. It is best to try a small batch and make adjustments before making larger batches.
• Use pint or 1/2 pint jars.
• Any fruit jam or jelly recipe may be used as long as the product is processed for 10 minutes or frozen. Substitute 7 tbsp of Clear Jel® for the pectin in cooked jams and jellies and 3-4 tbsp of Clear Jel® for the pectin in freezer jam recipes.
• For freezer jam follow the jam recipes on this sheet.
• Clear Jel® does not dissolve easily in liquid. To help dissolve the product mix the Clear Jel® with a little sugar before adding to the fruit or juice.
Problem solving:
Jam is too stiff: To make softer, heat the product and add a little more juice or water, then reprocess.
Jam is too thin: To make stiffer, heat the product and add more Clear Jel® mixed with a few tbsp of sugar and dissolved in 1/2 cup of the product.
o Suppliers: Allison’s Pantry (Pleasant Grove), Kitchen Kneads (West Jordan),http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/, http://www.sweetc.com/
· Pectin: a non-digestible carbohydrate naturally found in the peel of many fruits that thickens jams and jellies. There are two types of pectin: regular (high-methosyl pectin) and special (low methoxyl pectin) Regular pectin is generally made from apple peel or from the white inner skin of citrus fruit. This type of pectin works with sugar and acid to form a gel. A low-sugar variety of regular pectin is also available. Low-methoxyl Pectin is extracted from the inner rinds of limes and lemons and is chemically different from regular pectin in that it uses a calcum solution, rather than sugar, to form a gel. Please note that “no sugar needed Pectin is not necessarily the same thing as low-methoxyl pectin. Ball brand lists the following ingredients: dextrose, pectin, locust beangum, xanthan gum,. Dextrose is the same thing as glucose, a monosaccharide (sugar), the other ingredients are all indigestible carbohydrates and aid in gel formation. Use liquid pectin (CERTO) if you want to avoid all added sugar from regular pectin.
o Suppliers: Any local grocery store, Ball/Kerr Home Canning (1-800-240-3340),www.kitchenkrafts.com/
The recipes below come from Instant Delite Recipes by Merrily Lloyd.
(Something you need to know about using Clear Jel is that you mix the wet ingredients together and then the dry ingredients together. Finally combine the two mixtures together when making Jam.)
Processed Strawberry Jam:
5 ¾ C ground strawberries
¼ C lemon juice
2 ½ C sugar
6 rounded Tablespoons Instant Clear Jel
1 package unsweetened Strawberry Koolaid.
Wash, stem, and grind ripe berries. Add lemon juice. Put in large sauce pan and bring to a boil. In a dry bowl, mix sugar, instant clear jel, and KoolAid. Slowly pour dry ingredients into fruit and blend thoroughly . Pour into sterilize canning jars and process for 10 minutes (Hot water Bath Canning)
Freezer Strawberry Jam:
2 C sugar
3 rounded Tablespoons Instant Clear Jel
1 package unsweetened strawberry KoolAid
5 cups diced, uncrushed fresh strawberries ½ C light Karo syrup
Mix sugar, instant clear jel, and Koo-Aid well. Add to washed and diced berries. Put in Karo syrup and stir until well blended. Put into containers and freeze.
Other Recipes using this product are (fromhttp://skagit.wsu.edu/FAM/publications/using%20clear%20jel%2003.pdf :
Cherry Jam
4 cups pitted chopped cherries
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons Clear Jel®
Sugar to taste (approximately 1 cup)
Add lemon juice to cherries. Combine Clear Jel® with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Add to cherries. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath or freeze.
Apricot and Pineapple Jam
5 cups ground apricots
1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup lemon juice
7 tablespoons Clear Jel®
Sugar to taste (approximately 3 cups)
Add lemon juice to apricots. Combine Clear Jel® with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Add to apricots. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add rest of sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath or freeze.
Apricot Jam
3 1/2 cups apricots
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 1/2 tablespoons Clear Jel®
Sugar to taste (approximately 2 cups)
Add lemon juice to apricots. Combine Clear Jel® with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Add to apricots. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add rest of sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath or freeze.
Peach Jam
3 3/4 cups peaches
1/4 cup lemon juice
7 tablespoons Clear Jel®
Sugar to taste (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
Add lemon juice to peaches. Combine Clear Jel® with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Add to peaches. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add rest of sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath or freeze.
Berry Jam
4 cups crushed berries or juiced
1/4 cup lemon juice
7 tablespoons Clear Jel®
Sugar to taste (approximately 1 1/2 cup)
Add lemon juice to berries. Combine Clear Jel® with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Add to berries. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add rest of sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into jars, leaving 1/4” headspace. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath or freeze.
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