In a classic jam recipe, sugar is added to fruits or berries in a one-to-one ratio. It enhances the taste and extends the shelf life of the preparation. But this option is not suitable for those who do not eat too sweet things. In this article, the editors of Food.ru figure out how to make a delicious homemade dessert without sugar.
How to replace sugar while keeping the sweet taste of jam
A simple alternative to sugar is synthetic substitutes: saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate, and xylitol. They are also sweet and have virtually no aftertaste. However, doctors do not recommend abusing them. For example, cyclamate is banned in many countries because it is likely to cause kidney disease. One of the side effects of saccharin is called “restless legs syndrome”. In addition, it is believed that it can provoke cancer. Therefore, it is better to use natural sugar substitutes for homemade jam:
- Jerusalem artichoke honey or syrup . They have a thick consistency, sweet taste and rich aroma. The main thing is not to overdo it with the amount, otherwise you will interrupt the taste of the fruit.
- Stevia. This low-calorie natural sweetener is sold in powder or syrup. It is 250-300 times sweeter than sugar but has a specific licorice flavor. Therefore, calculate the amount correctly: for example, for a kilogram of cherries you need 1.5 teaspoons of stevia;
- Erythritol. A sweet powder obtained from plants with a high starch content: corn, melon or tapioca. The obvious advantages are the absence of a specific taste and a minimum of calories. Erythritol is not as sweet as sucrose. Therefore, during cooking, a quarter more sugar is added than the amount required by the recipe. But even with this sweetener, not everything is so clear. Recent studies show that regular consumption of erythritol increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and thrombosis.
However, it is not necessary to add sugar substitutes to the jam. You can simply evaporate excess moisture from the berries and get a natural syrup. For thickness, add pectin or agar-agar, and for a rich taste – natural citrus juice.
Interesting fact In Russia, until the 19th century, people cooked without sugar, as it was an expensive and rare product. But honey was always in short supply, and it was used for home-made preserves.
How to make jam only from fruits and berries
There are two main methods. Whichever you choose, first you need to thoroughly wash the berries and fruits. Peel the apples, remove the core, and remove the pits from the cherries or apricots.
Method 1: Boil fruits and berries in a water bath
- Place the processed fruits in a bowl and evaporate over a saucepan of water.
- Once the jam has thickened, remove from the heat and pour into jars.
- To sterilize the container with the preparations, fill it with water again and boil for about 30 minutes in a saucepan, on the bottom of which you first put a waffle towel – so that the jars do not break against each other.
The cooking time for this method depends on the products selected. For example, apple jam will thicken faster if you use sweet apples with a sugary, crumbly texture instead of sour and hard ones.
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Method 2: Cook directly in the jar
To save time, the processed fruits can be immediately placed in jars and placed in a water bath. However, three important conditions must be met:
- To prevent the jars from bursting when they come into contact with the hot bottom of the pan, place a towel underneath them.
- For this type of jam, it is better to use fruits rather than berries – they release a moderate amount of juice, thicken quickly and settle less during the cooking process.
- Carefully fill the pan with water so that it does not reach the level of the jar necks.
The steamed jam will be tender, similar in texture to jam, and moderately sweet, with a pronounced taste of fruits and berries.
Advice Instead of a water bath, you can use a multicooker. In the stewing mode, its temperature will be enough for the moisture to evaporate from the berries, but at the same time the jam will not burn.
How to preserve sugar-free jam for the winter
To ensure that your homemade preserves last as long as possible, you need to meet five conditions:
- Boil longer. The lack of sugar slows down the process of syrup formation. It will take longer for the juice to come out and the jam to thicken.
- Sterilize. All jars should not only be washed, but also boiled or baked in the oven. After disinfection, wrap the containers in gauze or paper towels.
- Store correctly. Turn hot jars upside down to check their tightness: if the lid is not tightly closed, the jam will leak. Put the cooled preparations in a dry and cool place.
- Use natural preservatives. Lemon juice will give the jam an interesting sour taste and protect the finished product from mold.
- Carefully open the blanks. Correctly closed jars are hermetically sealed, so they open with a characteristic click.
Advice Pour homemade jam into jars no larger than 0.7 l. After all, opened preserves are stored in the refrigerator for only two weeks.
What can be done?
Try different combinations of fruits and berries in homemade sugar-free jam. For example, make preserves with pear and strawberry on pectin or homemade cherry jam. The taste of such desserts will be richer than that of jam with sugar, and the shelf life is the same.
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