Chilli Jam - Ingredients/Setting/Keeping

Our answer

Chilli jam will keep for up to 1 year as long as you have sterilized the jars properly and sealed them firmly. To sterilize jars wash them well in hot, soapy water, rinse well with hot, clean water and dry with a clean cloth. Then put the jars in an oven preheated to 140c/Gas Mk 1/275F for 10 minutes. Put the cooked chilli jam into the warm jars, seal and leave until copletely cold then store in a cool, dark place.

Once opened the jam should be refrigerated and used within 1 month.

The chilli jam tends to be a fairly soft set, so it will not be as firm as something like a commercial jam or marmalade though it should not be completely liquid when cool. Make sure you have used jam sugar as you need the pectin added into in the sugar to get the jam to set (for the US add 1 x 1.75 oz box powdered pectin with the sugar). If there is no added pectin then the jam will not set as the chillis do not contain any pectin. The boiling time can vary a bit if you are using a smaller or larger pan so if in doubt use a sugar or candy thermometer and boil until the thermometer shows 105c/220F which is the setting point for jam.

Red chillis tend to work best in the chilli jam, less for flavour reasons though green chillis to tend to be milder, but mainly as green chillis tend to loose their very green colour when cooked for any length of time, turning a less attractive olive. Red chillis however remain red and look more attractive.