# Pineapple Habanero Jam didn't set???



## yellowlab2 (Jun 6, 2002)

My wife spent the afternoon making Pineapple Habanero Jam, She followed the recipe but it didn't set. It's more like a glaze. Very runny. The flavor is awesome. We used Ball Real Fruit Liquid Pectin, same as we ever use. We made Pineapple Jalapeno Jam last year and it set beautifully. Help please. TIA


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## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

She failed because she followed the recipe.

Here's what I've learned to do. Put a few teacup saucers in the freezer to chill.

Once your jelly is prepared and boiling, drop a spoonful of the hot jelly onto a chilled dish. It will quickly cool enough to gel if in can gel.

If it gels, you are good to go and it's ready to put into jars.

If it DOES NOT gel, bring the mix back up to a boil and repeat after about 5 minutes. Keep boiling and testing in 5 minute intervals untill you SEE gelling.


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## doingitmyself (Jul 30, 2013)

Is it possible the pectin was old? It does have an expiration date to use by, and it can make a difference. I know i will get flamed by making that statement but it is true. I also leave the jars to sit for 48 hours before i handle the jars. Some things take longer to set.

One other thing is I do not like to do double batch's. Sometimes if I'm canning with a friend they will insist on a double batch, but i don't do it myself. Lots of reasons one should not do that but some folks do it anyways. 

Once in a while the fruit sugars and enzymes you are working with are just such that a firm set is hard or impossible to get. In that case i simply label it "pourable", or "syrup", or for instance "Blue Berry gravy"! LOLOL 

I agree with the above poster in recommending the freezer test is a good way to help insure a good set.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

I can maybe help with saving the jars you do have. I had a jam not set up once and what I did was, dumped a jar (one jar at a time), into a non-stick frying pan. I sprinkled powdered pectin across the top, lightly. I cooked it for a few minutes, allowing it to boil for about a minute, put it back in a fresh jar, and it gelled up!

So, give that a try if you have some powdered pectin. Now, the original jam was made with powdered pectin to begin with. I have now idea if that matters......


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## StaceyS (Nov 19, 2003)

I made a kind of zucchini/pineapple/jalapeno marmalade (for lack of a better term) and had 3 1/2 pint jars that wouldn't fit in the canner so I put them in the fridge, they set but the ones on the shelf didn't... Thinking maybe when it's cooler they will gel


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## yellowlab2 (Jun 6, 2002)

Checked the pectin, there is more than a year before expiration. So it's not that. We did a single batch. We are going to try the freezer plate method. 

That said, my lovely wife poured a jar over chicken in the frying pan last night. Oh dear Lord in heaven. It carmelized, it stuck, it left goo in the pan to scoop onto the meat. Chicken crack. Not one bit left over, and my son and I cleaned the rest of the pan with the last bit of macaroni... Best fail ever.


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