Cassell's dictionary of cookery

The sugar should be dried and broken up into small pieces before it is mixed with the fruit. If it is left in large lumps it will be a long time in dissolving, and if it is crushed to powder it will make the jam look thick instead of clear and bright. The quantity to be used must depend in every instance on the nature of the fruit, and will be found in the several recipes throughout this work. Fruit is generally boiled in a brass or copper pan uncovered, and this should be kept perfectly bright and clean. Great care should be taken not to place the pan flat upon the fire, as this will be likely to make the jam burn to the bottom of the pan. If it cannot be placed upon a stove-plate, it should be hung a little distance above the fire. Glass jars are much the best for jam, as through them the condition of the fruit can be observed. Whatever jars are used, however, the jam should be examined every three weeks for the first two months, and if there are any signs of either mould or fermentation, it should be boiled over again. The best way to cover jam is to lay a piece of paper the size of the jar upon the jam, to stretch over the top a piece of writing-paper or tissue paper which has been dipped in white of egg, and to press the sides closely down. When dry, this paper will be stiff and tight like a drum. The strict economist may use gum dissolved in water instead of white of egg. The object aimed at is to exclude the air entirely. Jam should be stored in a cool dry place, but not in one into which fresh air never enters. Damp has a tendency to make the fruit go mouldy, and heat to make it ferment. Some cooks cover the jam as soon as possible after it is poured out, but the generally-approved plan is to let the fruit grow cold before covering it. In making jam, continual watchfulness is required, as the result of five minutes' inattention may be loss and disappointment. There are other ways of preserving fruit besides making it into jam, such as drying, bottling, and candying. The recipes for these processes will be given in their proper places. Eecipes for the following preserves will be found under their respective headings :— Almack's Apples Apples for Winter Use Apricots in Jelly Apricots, Whole or IN Halves Barberries Beetroot Biffins Black Currant Cherries Cherries in Syrup Cherries, Morella Cranberries Cucumbers Damsons Eggs Figs Ginger Ginger, Imitation Golden Pippins Gooseberries, Green, as Hops Gooseberries, Green, Whole Grapes Grapes in Brandy Greengages, Dry Greengages in Syrup Jargonelle Pears Lemon Juice Lemon Peel Lettuce Stalks Limes Magnum Bonum Plt'ms Melon Mulberries Nectarines Orange Plums Oranges, Whole Oranges, Whole, Carved Peaches in Brandy Peaches, Wholh Pears Pears, Red Plums Pumpkin Quinces Rhubarb Siberian Crabs Strawberries Strawberries in Wine Tomatoes Truffles Water Melon Rind Windsor Beans Preserving Pans are used for boiling sugar and syrups. They are usually made of copper, and require a well-regulated heat, for which charcoal stoves and hot plates are very convenient.