Salaric Cooking

Important lessons

Well I have been making preserves again. 🙂

The important lessons I have learnedt are:

Do not fill my my preserving pan up with more than 9 pints of strained juice –- I put 12 in, thinking it would be ok, not realising exactly how much space the sugar would take up!

Lesson No. 2: – Aalways scaled the jelly straining bag -– I am actually using a wine sieving bag, but hey, same priniciple. I couldn’t work out why the first lot I strained went through brilliaently whilst the second lot was still straining! Drip, drip… and drip again it went. This was becuase with the first lot, I poured boiling water through it to sterialise it in a fit of hygiene paranoia. Where as the second lot went into a cold, damp bag. I have since found out about ‘scalding’ jelly straining bags/seieves -– this is where you pour boiling water onto the bag in order to allow the fluid to drain through it, rather than being absorbed by the bag, which then acts as a sort of seal for the liquid left in the bag.

Lesson No. 3: – Make sure that when dealing with fermentation buckets full of juice for jam- making or preserving pans or anything else –- do it, especially any pouring -– over a plastic matt.

Lesson No. 4: – Make sure that when Al is helping you pour hot liquids that he is wearing shoes! It saves on moaning!

Lesson No. 5: No matter how many jars you think you need -– it will not be enough -– so double the number!!!

Lesson No. 6: Recipey books have a strange idea of temperature converstions! 220˚ F apparently equals 110˚ C -– yeah right, on whose scale? Not that this actually matters but it just annoyed me -– I am awear it’s the same magnitudte, but still!

Lesson No. 7: Make sure that there are enough tea towles clean.