Buy a full case and the price per unit drops automaticallyRequest a sample
AccountCart0
All ContainersBottlesJarsCaps & ClosuresPumps & SprayersTubs & PailsJugsDroppersTinsTubesAccessories
Industries
Personal CareShop all 934 items →
AromatherapyBathBath →Body careBody care →Color cosmeticsColor cosmetics →DeodorantDeodorant →FragranceFragrance →GroomingHair careLip careLip care →NailNail →Oral careOral care →Skin and faceSkin and face →Soap and washSoapmaking →Sun and protectionSun and protection →
Learn:BathBody careColor cosmeticsDeodorantFragranceLip careNailOral careSkin and faceSoapmakingSun and protectionEverything we have written →
Learn
Beekeeping100Hot sauce making90Jam and preserves96Pickles and ferments64Sauces and condiments36Syrups36Oils and vinegars34Nut butters and spreads33Dairy and alternatives33Coffee and tea36Confection31Resin and casting27Supplement liquids23Laboratory17Dispensing13Photography and darkroom14Industrial chemical14Prepared and deli15Body care14Color cosmetics13Bath14Pet health15Toiletry decanting14Oral care14Capsules and tablets14Nail14Fragrance15Deodorant17Fossils16Janitorial16Baking and dry goods16Seed storage17Specimens16Paint and ink18Automotive fluids18Wax melts17Diffusers17Detailing15Sun and protection18Dish and hand16Soapmaking91Candle making93Beverages92Cleaning products92Lip care89Minerals and rocks93Powders91Skin and face91Spices and seasoning91Findings and components16
All 1,895 pages we have written →
Jam and preserves
All Containers›Shop by use case›Jam and preserves›What goes wrong›It never setShop all jams and preserves →
What goes wrong

It never set

By Dwight Davis, Founder

Updated

On this page5
A soft set has eight published causes and only two of them are about the cook. The rest are about extraction, proportions, batch size and what you did after filling, which is why "boil it longer" is usually the wrong answer.

The eight

Soft set is the failure with the most possible causes, which is exactly why guessing at it wastes fruit. Eight things can produce it and several of them look identical in the pan, so the useful move is to work down a list in order rather than fix the one you happen to suspect and run another batch.

  • Overcooking the fruit to extract juice.
  • Using too much water to extract the juice.
  • Incorrect proportions of sugar and juice.
  • Undercooking, so the sugar never reached concentration.
  • Insufficient acid.
  • Making too large a batch at one time.
  • Moving the product too soon.
  • Insufficient time before using it.

The two that catch people out

Two of the eight account for most soft sets and neither is the one people reach for first. Both feel like doing the job properly at the time, which is why they persist through several batches before anybody suspects them.

Batch size and moving the jars are both on that list, and neither is a recipe fault. A pot too full cannot drive water off fast enough, and a gel that is still forming can be broken by being carried across a kitchen.

That is also why a jar judged soft on the day it was filled may not be soft a week later. Insufficient time before using is a listed cause, so the first thing to do about a soft set is to wait.

What to check, in order

This order is cheapest-first, not likeliest-first. The early checks cost you a thermometer and five minutes; the later ones cost a batch. Work down it and stop at the first thing that is wrong, because more than one of these is usually true at once and fixing the first often fixes the rest.

  1. Wait. Give it the time the guidance says it needs before calling it.
  2. Check the proportions against the recipe by weight, not by volume.
  3. Check the acid. Under-acid never sets, and that is the one addition that can be made in a remake.
  4. Check the batch size against the pot, and halve it if the depth is more than a few inches.

If it is genuinely soft

Before doing anything, give it time. A set continues to firm for longer than most people wait, and a jar judged at twelve hours is often judged on a product that was not finished setting.

It is still a product. Soft set is sold as a sauce or a topping rather than remade, and the naming question that follows is on jam, jelly or preserve.

References

National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia. Causes and possible solutions for problems with jellied fruit products. nchfp.uga.edu
United States Department of Agriculture. Complete Guide to Home Canning, Guide 7: Preparing and Canning Jams and Jellies (rev. 07/2015). National Center for Home Food Preservation. nchfp.uga.edu
Written from federal regulation and published extension guidance, not from a laboratory. A standard of identity is a federal floor and your state adds to it. Anything here is a starting point for a conversation with your state department of agriculture, not a determination that you comply.