Vegan/vegetarian jam or jello?

Question

I find it hard to tell which jams are suitable. Hartys jam is the Only jam/jello I have seen that, actually specifies on the jar, but a lot of jars have on the list of ingredients "gelling agent" but don't say what it is: bean gum? Gelatin? Icing glass?

What is the gelling agent?

Answer 1

You'd have to contact the company to find out. That's the only way. The whole food ingredients list is designed to be on the side of manufactures, they don't even need to list all of the ingredients -- packaging information, it's a total scam -- a joke on the public. There are so many hidden ingredients it's not even funny.



Typically pectin is used for jams and jellies. Acorn powder can also be used. Agar. Gums. Any kind of starch is also a gelling agent. Anything that thickens to the point where if you add enough of it, it will solidify or gel the product can be called a gelling agent.



Basically there are hundreds of different kinds of plant-based 'gelling agents'. But, manufacturers will use whatever is the cheapest and available -- that's all they care about. Often they use whatever is cheapest on that current week, so since it is always changing, they just put 'gelling agent' on the label. They might even use a mix of different kinds.



I say every single ingredient and ingredients within other ingredients and ingredients used in the process etc. must be put on the label, but... they remain hidden. Such as adding sugar to honey, it's not on the label because it's part of the process, that is, it's not added as an 'ingredient' but as something to prevent the honey from gumming up the equipment. Crazy huh? But true.

Answer 2

I'm vegetarian and I make a lot of jam.



The gelling agent in jams is pectin - it's naturally found in fruit. Certain fruits have more pectin in than others, so you can get a better 'set' from fruits such as apples, citrus fruits and currants. Soft fruits like strawberries and apricots are low in pectin, so extra pectin will need to be added so the jam won't be too runny.



You can make low-pectin fruits set better by combining them in a jam with a high-pectin fruit, which is combinations like apple and blackberry jam are common. Or you can add a squeeze of lemon juice to soft fruit, to help it set.



You can also buy pectin powder to get a good set - I imagine this is used commercially too. It's a dried powder made from pectin extracted from apples and is completely safe for vegetarians/vegans to eat.



I have never heard of jam being made with gelatin or isinglass, but you could check with the company if it makes you feel better :-)



The only way to be completely sure what goes into something is to make it yourself! A simple recipe for strawberry jam is:



Serves: makes 4 x 500g jars

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 1 hr 10 min



Ingredients

1.5kg Strawberries

1 lemon, juice only

1.25kg Sugar





1. To prepare your strawberries, remove all tops and greenery, and chop large fruits into chunks.



2. Put the strawberries and lemon juice into a large, heavy-based saucepan and simmer them very gently for an hour.



3. Add the sugar and turn up the heat until the temperature rises to setting point (104C).



4. Check that setting point has been reached with a sugar thermometer or using The Wrinkle Test (see below).



5. Once the jam has reached setting point, skim any scum off the top of the jam. Set aside until a skin starts to form.



6. Pour into sterilized jars.



7. Seal them and leave to cool. Label them and store in a cool place.



Cook's note: If you don't have a sugar thermometer, you can do the 'The Wrinkle Test'. Chill a plate in the fridge, spread a small teaspoon of jam on it. Allow to cool and push your finger through it. The skin on the jam should have just about set, and should wrinkle up. The two halves of the jam either side of your finger mark should remain separate.



(this recipe uses the natural pectin in lemon as the gelling agent).



Best of luck!



- Rachel S.

Answer 3

i use polaner for jam - veg safe - they don't add refined sugar either.



jello: http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=vegane&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=965786159&Count2=882926583&ProductID=1852&Target=products.asp