In this blog we are going to tell you about Differences between Jam and Preserves, so read this blog carefully to get the complete information.
As you may know that jam, preserve and jelly are prepared similarly by the use of fruit with sugar and pectin. This is the reason most people usually call jam a preserve and vice versa. But the main difference between them is that the fruit is used in the two different forms in the dishes. The two dishes are indeed similar in most of their characteristics but you should also know the significant differences that imply that jam is not the same as the preserve. So in this article, we will focus on what jam and preserves are and how they differ from each other.
What is Jam?
Jam is referred to as a type of preserve that is well known among people. Like Jelly, jam is also prepared by cooking sugar and acid. But unlike jelly, jam utilizes fruits that are either chopped, crushed, or pureed instead of using fruit juice. Pectin is also sometimes added as jam usually tends to slightly lose its consistency in comparison to jellies. For thickening the jam, pectin is used. Jams have more texture due to the addition of fruits. Some Jams also contain seeds, peels, or chunks of fruit but not commonly. Additionally, jam does not necessarily have to be sweet as chutney is savory and is commonly flavored with vinegar and spices.
What are Preserves?
Preserves refer to a large category in which a lot of food items are included. The term comprises all jelly, jam, pickles, marmalade, chutneys, and other canned food items. Fruit preserves are a lot similar to jam but they are slightly thicker. It is because it contains the addition of large chunks or whole pieces of fruits instead of using chopped, crushed, or pureed fruits. You will usually see large bits of fruits used in preserves. For example, Marmalade which is made with citrus is considered a preserve because it is made with parts of rind along with inner fruit and pulp.
Main Differences between Jam and Preserves
Besides having similarities in that they both contain fruits and sugar, they have a lot of differences also. The following are the main differences between Jam and Preserves as mentioned below:
- The word preserve is an umbrella term that refers to a lot of food items including jelly, jam, marmalade, chutney, etc. Preserve simply refers to food items that are prepared in a way so that they can be stored for a considerable time. On the other hand, jam is a type of preserve that is mainly prepared from large chunks of fruits and is mainly thick in texture.
- Jam has a rustic appearance and is squishy. It is a homogeneous spread in which the original fruit is expected to stay intact at least partially. It has a similar appearance and taste to the original fruit from which it is made. On the other hand, preserves contain storage liquids or syrups which are clear in appearance and are gelled with pectin sometimes. The fruit remains intact in the preparation of preserves and the final result after cooking should be plump and tender.
- Jam is a fruit in the form of fruit pulp and is sometimes crushed and is usually stiff in comparison to jelly whereas the fruit used in preserves is usually in the form of fruit chunks in a syrup and sometimes whole fruit is also used in its preparation.
- In Jam, fruit, sugar, and pectin are always used whereas, in preserves, fruit and sugar are always used. Pectin is used in jam for thickening but it is not required in preserves as they already contain chunks or whole fruits.
- Jam is smoother and more gelled in comparison to preserves.
Conclusion
Both Jam and Preserves are widely used all over the world. Most people get confused with the two terms and use them interchangeably. However, Preserves have a wide variety of food items whereas Jam is a type of preserve. The main difference between jam and preserves is the use of fruits as they are used in different forms in the preparation of jam and preserves. Jam is prepared by using crushed, chopped, or pureed fruits while Preserves are made using large chunks or whole fruits. So we hope that this article has cleared all your doubts and queries related to the two terms.
We Hope this blog is sufficient enough to provide the information about Differences between Jam and Preserves. Thanks for reading this blog.
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