Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between orange jam and orange marmalade? ›

Marmalades contain the peel of the fruit as opposed to the whole fruit which jam is made from. Is marmalade just orange jam? No, orange jams use the entire fruit by crushing, pureeing and cooking, whereas marmalades consist of the citrus peel, (not the whole fruit).

If you did not sterilize and process the jars in a canner, the marmalade will keep in the refrigerator for four weeks. If the jars are processed in a water bath canner, they will be shelf-stable and will keep for up to a year, unopened.

Add the shredded peel and muslin bag to the pan along with the water. Leave to soak overnight. This helps to extract the maximum amount of pectin from the fruit pulp, which will give a better set.

Here are the key steps to get right when making marmalade. But first, you gotta pick the right fruit. Historically, and even today, the best fruit for the job is a Seville orange, a sour-bitter variety that's used as a souring agent in many Caribbean and Latin American cuisines in lieu of lemons or limes.

I typically use 4 cups of sugar for every 4 cups of fruit mixture, which produces a rather tart marmalade. Feel free to use more! Squeeze the pectin from the bag: Once your pectin bag has cooled to the point you can handle it, squeeze it like play-doh to extract extra pectin.

You usually juice the citrus fruit and if whole peels are used they are repeatidly covered in water and boiled (changing the water 2-3 times) to leach out the bitter compounds.

The final secret in producing a sweet marmalade is to boil the orange peels several times to leach out the bitterness.

What if my marmalade didn't thicken? Stir in a package of liquid fruit pectin and boil for 1 minute.

Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.

This is a process of color loss and does not mean the jam or jelly is going bad. The browning starts at the top of the jar and slowly works its way down. If your jars were properly sealed and the seal is still intact, the jam or jelly, although not as pretty as it once was, is safe to eat.

How long to boil marmalade before it sets? ›

Boiling to a set

I always make small batches of marmalade, using 675g of fruit. Once the sugar is dissolved, a boil to a set takes an average of 5-7 minutes.

You do want to use a refined white sugar for marmalade and jams. Some people prefer to use caster sugar as it dissolves quickly, some prefer granulated sugar. There is also preserving sugar that has even larger crystals which dissolve slowly, produce less froth and can give a clearer preserve.

Many marmalade recipes will have you remove the peel, boil it once, twice, or three times, and then separate the tasty and colorful zest from the bitter white pith. However, you can also remove the pith at the start. Use a sharp peeler or paring knife to carefully cut off the zest from each piece of fruit.

Baking soda is slightly alkaline and helps to break down the peels, shortening the time it takes to cook and soften them. You do not have to use it to make good marmalade, but it helps shorten the cooking process.

I prefer to use low sugar pectin, as the resulting marmalade is still sweet – but not overly sugary. The final secret in producing a sweet marmalade is to boil the orange peels several times to leach out the bitterness.

To prevent scum forming on the top of your jam, add a knob of butter to your fruit at the same time as you add the sugar, we recommend 20 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Note: Scum is nothing sinister, it is only air bubbles that are created during the cooking process, they will not ruin your jam/marmalade if they form.

Pam Corbin, preserving expert and former owner of Thursday Cottage, marmalade and jam makers: After adding sugar to the oranges, stir the mixture over a gentle heat to ensure it's completely dissolved before it starts to boil. Once it's reached a rolling boil, disturb it as little as possible.