What is the Difference Between Jam and Jelly?
- Written By: S.E. Smith
- Edited By: O. Wallace
-
Copyright Protected:
2003-2013 Conjecture Corporation
Jam and jelly are two different types of fruit preserves, and the difference between jam and jelly is actually quite significant in terms of flavor, texture, and nutritional value. In addition to jellies and jams, it is also possible to see a range of other types of fruit preserves, including confit, fruit butter, conserves, marmalade, and fruit curds. Both jam and jelly have been made for centuries, and they appear to be native to Europe.
The primary difference between jam and jelly involves the contents. Jam is made from whole fruit, meaning every edible part of the fruit is involved, while jelly is made from fruit juices. Jam is a thick, chunky spread, while jelly is a thinner, more evenly-textured spread. Jams may include things like seeds and pieces of fruit skin which create a very distinctive texture, setting them apart from jellies. Because jam includes whole fruit, it tends to have more of the vitamins and minerals found in the parent fruit, and it is also usually only made with one type of fruit, whereas jellies may involve a blend of juices.
There is also a difference between jam and jelly in terms of preparation methods. Jam is made by cooking fruit with sugar and water until the fruit starts to soften and break up, releasing its natural pectin. Pectin is the substance which makes jam firm up into a gelatinous solid. Once the fruit is softened, the jam can be canned and sealed, with some cooks processing their jam to make the texture more uniform.
Jelly can be made with fruit juice, or with liquid leftover from making jam. Because whole fruit is not involved, pectin must be added to jelly to ensure that it firms. Jellies tend to be a bit sweeter than jams, because they do not have the natural tartness of whole fruit, with sugar acting as a preservative in both cases. Unlike jelly, jam does not need added pectin, illustrating a major difference between jam and jelly.
These fruit preserves can be used in much the same way as spreads on baked goods, condiments, and so forth. Some people think of jelly as a more processed form of fruit conserves, preferring the coarse texture of jam because it feels more “natural,” although both jam and jelly can be produced with minimal processing. In terms of end product, the major difference between jam and jelly is the texture: people who dislike seeds in their jam or chunky preserves will probably prefer jelly, while people who like things a little more textured may like jam instead.
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OeKc05
Post 33 |
I grew some strawberries a few years ago, and they made the best strawberry jelly! They had more flavor than the kind you buy at the store.
I do remember adding pectin to the mix. I had never worked with pectin before, and it was fascinating to observe the jelly form slowly out of a liquid mess!
I could have made jam out of them, but I planned on using the jelly in a recipe for strawberry peanut butter bars. The bars were like brownies, and the jelly was supposed to go on top of them and be a base for a final topping of chopped fresh strawberries. It would have been weird to have both jam and whole fresh fruit on top of the bars. |
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seag47
Post 32 |
@giddion – I think you are right about people loving either one or the other. I am a jelly person, and to me, blackberry jelly is the most wonderful thing you could put on toast or an English muffin.
It's a gooey fruit coating that gives otherwise bland toast flavor. I hate plain toast, but if I have some blackberry jelly on hand, I tend to eat too much toast! |
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giddion
Post 31 |
The difference between jelly and jam is so well defined that everyone I know is either a jelly or a jam person, but not both. For instance, my husband and my mother cannot tolerate eating fruit seeds, so they are jelly people. My dad and I love the richness and the fullness of jam, though.
To me, jelly is too much like flavored gelatin. I don't like gelatin desserts because of the texture, so I don't like the gelatinous quality of jelly.
I realize that jam also contains pectin, but the difference is that it is so full of other stuff that you don't notice the gelatin. To me, jam is just spreadable fruit. |
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shell4life
Post 30 |
I absolutely love blackberry jam. A big spoonful of this is so full of fruit chunks and seeds that I feel like I'm eating some pre-chewed blackberries!
I put blackberry jam in between linzer cookies when I make them. These are the kind of cookies that aren't very sweet and have a hole in the middle so that the jam shows through.
The jam adds sweetness to the plain tasting cookies. I feel like even though it has sugar in it, the jam makes the cookies a healthy treat because of the whole fruit that it contains. |
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anon155459
Post 24 |
I think there must be some mistake. Jelly is chunky, while jam is the one with the even texture. Otherwise, it helped a lot with my strange curiosity. |
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anon90764
Post 13 |
There is just something about the natural wholeness of jam that makes it awesome. where jelly is good, jam is the next level. |
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anon86023
Post 11 |
I enjoy using pureed fruit in my jelly. I guess that would still be jelly. i do add pectin. yummy jelly. |
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anon83312
Post 10 |
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are better with jam. |
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anon81209
Post 9 |
I prefer jam over jelly. It spreads a lot easier, too! Yummy. |
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anon79264
Post 8 |
I like jelly on my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. |
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anon58836
Post 3 |
I'm glad I prefer jam over jelly. I love the natural taste, and the tartness just makes everything better. I'm not one to like things too sweet, such as candy. |
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pocurana
Post 1 |
While I'd like to be more healthy, I have to admit that I prefer jelly over jam. I like the smooth texture. Especially for certain uses like peanut butter jelly sandwiches -- not healthy at all -- I prefer jelly over jam. |
