Jam pan???

[tommy the cat]

Our lass brought this home thinking it might be of use to me...

I'm fussing a jam pan??
It's very light weight so guessing Ali ?
I'd light to get into making jams but always thought you'd use a heavier weight pan?
It's in our lass's charity shop so it can go back..... how much donation day think?
Dave

 

[crosslandkelly]

Definately a jam pan.

 

[Toddy]

Maslin pan
I use either the old brass ones or stainless steel with an aluminium layered base these days, but the older aluminium pans for dyeing.
I think I paid a fiver for the last one I bought, but it was eight or nine years ago at a boot sale.

atb,
M

 

[tommy the cat]

Errr ok then....Toddy its gonna cost next to nowt but want the right tool for the job....any reasons for stainless other than clean up???
AS mentioned new to this!!
D

 

[didicoy]

I always understood that you should not use aluminum pans for making jam. Copper or stainless is used. I was told its to do with the acid in the fruit and high temperatures, that leach aluminum into the jam. Worth checking this out further.

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Aye ally can leach colour into the jam. Same reason chefs dont make sauces in ally pans. I use a big old 10l stainless stock pan for my jam. We just opened the last jar from 2 years ago and its still wonderful. Just been for a walk to check our regular bushes and its been a great year for blackerries. will havest a shed load this weekend to replenish stocks

 

[Toddy]

The aluminium gets etched away with fruit acids.
Right enough so does the brass one over time, but that leaches miniscule amounts of copper which acts as an anti fungicide in the jam, so it's not an issue.

I'm not sure that aluminium is considered an issue nowadays all the hype about it being a cause for alzeheimers seems to have been proven to be false.

Up to yourself really, I suppose. I just keep them for dye these days, and in dye alum is a mordant so it's pretty good for it.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Goatboy]

I'm not sure that aluminium is considered an issue nowadays all the hype about it being a cause for alzeheimers seems to have been proven to be false.


cheers,
Toddy

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that...

 

[Toddy]

:11doh:
That was soooo bad

M

 

[didicoy]

I know that aluminum can be harmful to infants & the elderly. Soya products in the mid 1980's had a warning about the high aluminum content in their product and advised against giving it to infants and elderly. Today's producers of soya products have managed to do something to reduce the levels in most soya products.

Dogs can get all their Zinc requirement from drinking water out of a galvanized water bowl. If the bowl containing water is left in direct sunlight.

 

[tommy the cat]

Ok I've got a stainless stock pot anyhow which I guess may be better then!!

 

[Toddy]

Well, yes and no.

Y'see aluminium makes a brilliant heat spreading pot; the only issue folks ever had with it (apart from it making the dishclothes filthy looking) was the hype about alzheimers. If that's not true, and it is now widely disputed, then those old pots are very sound.

Stainless steel stock pots though....now they are often very thin on the base, and that means that food, especially at high temperature, sticks and burns.
That's why the better stainless steel pots have sandwich type bases with a layer of aluminium in between a couple of layers of steel.

The only reason I know about the stainless steel stock pots is that I bought what I thought was a bargain set on ebay for dyeing and discovered that they were the single thickness throughout. They're great for boiling up stuff like fomes or plant stuff in loads of water for dye, but I tried one for stew before I used it for dye, and everything I cooked in it that weekend stuck like burnt on glue
I have since bought a laminated base stainless steel stock pot though, and it's a very good thing

Jam needs high temperature; a thin brass pan can still burn if not constantly stirred, but a thin stainless steel one 'will' stick regardless of how careful you are with the stirring

Best of luck with it
M

 

[British Red]

Just what Mary says. I have a great stock pot (John Lewis bought wedding gift), its my go to pan for jams and chutney- heavy base for spreading heat. I have a couple of cheap ones I use for

sterilising jars


15) Jars Boiled by British Red, on Flickr

water bath canning


16 Put in water bath) by British Red, on Flickr

rendering wax etc.


Brood wax by British Red, on Flickr

They are fine for that

My pressure canner is aluminium - so no reason to dislike aluminium in its place (shown with the quality stock pot)


Canning Equipment by British Red, on Flickr

I suspect as the garden "comes on" Dave you will find as I do that you can't have enough large pans - of various types!

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks guys!
To be honest this years offerings are a little bit meagre so prob little to jam!!
Ironically the blackberries coming though the fence from the field next door are prolific and may need to be turned into jam...!