Photography: Miele

First rule: Only use firm, ripe, spotless fruit for all jams and jellies. One rotten piece of fruit will spoil the overall flavour.

All preserves-making utensils such as pots, cutting board, knives and cooking spoon should also be spic and span.

Rinse fruit and follow recipe to boil with preserving sugar (you may have to cut the fruit into smaller pieces or remove pits and seeds).

During this time the twist-top preserving jars should be boiled in water for 5 minutes to remove any remaining detergents that can influence the flavour and destroy the gelatine structure.

Afterwards immediately turn jars upside down and leave to dry. The lids do not have to be dried.

Right after boiling use a ladle and a jam funnel to fill the prepared jars to the very top with jam, jelly or marmalade that is as hot as possible. Make sure that the edge of the jar is clean before closing. Afterwards immediately turn the glasses over onto their lids and leave them this way for five minutes. The hot air still present in the jars channels its way into the hot cooked mixture, sterilizing it. This protects jams, jellies and marmalades from spoiling.

Tip: Solidifying test
The sample test will tell you right away if the prepared fruit will become solid enough when cooling in jars. To do this, put 1–2 teaspoons of the hot fruit onto a small, ice-cold plate (chilled in the fridge or freezer). If the sample becomes thick or solid, the rest of the jam, jelly or marmalade in the jars will also solidify.

If the sample is too watery, a teaspoon of citric acid will make it more solid. If it’s too solid, a few teaspoons of hot fruit juice will make it less so.

Tip: Steam oven
The Miele steam oven is a true multi-talent: You can use it not only to thaw out, boil down, extract juice, prepare yoghurt, let yeast dough rise, melt chocolate, skin tomatoes, make apple preserves, steam cook onions, disinfect dishes and heat up wet wipes, but also to make jam, jelly and marmalade.