Make kitchen treasures last longer

From simple jams and marmalades to juices and syrups, pesto and chutney, salted delicacies and pickled vegetables to soups, goulash, and beef roulades in a jar. Bread, cakes, and even pizza can also be baked in the right jars. Here we tell you the 7 best tips for preserving fruit, vegetables, and mushrooms and also our insider tips for the perfect homemade jam.

Now it’s time: get to the glasses, get set, boil down!

7 ultimate tips for preserving

• Cleanliness of all objects used is the top priority!
• Make sure that all ingredients used are of impeccable quality! Fruit should not be overripe.
• Buy new lids! These are cheap to buy (between 5 and 15 cents each), clean, leak-proof, and not rusty.
• Do not use wooden spoons or boards as these are usually not sterile.
• Before you start preparing, have everything you need ready.
• A hot-filled glass only tolerates warm water, never cold water (and vice versa), stress cracks can quickly appear in the glass (risk of injury!).
• When you open your glass, listen for the “pop”! It is a sign that the contents have been properly pasteurized or sterilized and are edible: when the filled jars are being boiled, water vapor forms which can escape from the jar, but air cannot get into the jar, creating a vacuum.

10 Tips for Homemade Jam

1. The fruit should be fresh, firm, and ripe, but not overripe, otherwise, it will not set well. Frozen fruit can also be used.
2. Working hygienically is very important.
3. Wash the fruit, drain, remove the stalks and seeds if necessary and cut into small pieces or puree as you prefer.
4. Accurate Weighing – The weight ratio of fruit and sugar is critical to success.
5. Preserve no more than 2 kg of fruit in one go.
6. With large fruits, it is good to leave them mixed with sugar in a cool place overnight, as this will allow the sugar to dissolve more evenly throughout the fruit mass.
7. Stir while heating or cooking to allow the sugar to dissolve and distribute evenly.
8. The cooking time does not begin until the mass is bubbling. Be sure to adhere to the specified cooking times!
9. Make a jelly test: put 1 teaspoon of jam or jelly on a cold, dry plate, let it cool down, and check the firmness. The mass must no longer flow. If you push them with your finger, small folds should form in the skin.
10. Quickly pour the boiling hot jam into jars, close the jars tightly and store the jam in a cool, dark, and dry place.