In boiling water or homemade outfit, 212 degrees Fahrenheit, 90.
In condensed steam outfit, 90.
In water-seal outfit, 214 degrees Fahrenheit, 75.
In steam-pressure outfit, 5 pounds, 60.
In pressure-cooker outfit, 10 to 15 pounds, 45.

CHAPTER VI

JELLIES, JAMS, PRESERVES, MARMALADES, FRUIT JUICES AND SIRUPS

For jelly making select firm, slightly underripe fruit that is fairly
acid and contains a large amount of pectin. Fruit that is just a
little underripe contains more pectin than the mature or overripe
fruits. Pectin is the substance that makes jelly harden. This
fundamental jelly-making quality does not exist in all fruits. Such
fruits as currants, crab apples and grapes contain much pectin and
are, therefore, considered excellent jelly-making fruits.

The white inner skin of grapefruit is also a prolific source of
pectin, but as it has a bitter taste we seldom use it for jellies,
though we find it valuable in making orange, grapefruit and other
marmalades.

Rhubarb, strawberries and cherries all lack pectin, but can be made
into good jellies if we add the white skins of oranges and lemons to
them while cooking.

So the very first thing we must know about jelly making is whether or
not a fruit contains pectin. There will be no tears shed over jelly
that will not "jell" if all young housewives will learn the simple
test for pectin; to find out whether a juice contains pectin or not is
a very easy matter.

Take one tablespoonful of grain alcohol--90 to 95 per cent.--and add
to it one tablespoonful of _cooked_ juice that has been cooled. The
effect of the alcohol is to bring together the pectin in a jelly-like
mass. If a large quantity of pectin is present it will appear in one
mass or clot which may be gathered up on a spoon. You will notice I
said _cooked_ juice. It is peculiar that this pectin frequently is not
found in the juices of raw fruits, though it is very plentiful in the
cooked juices. Therefore the test must be made with cooked juice.

There is little pectin in the juice of raw apples, raw quince, raw
grapes, and yet the cooked juices are full of pectin.

This test not only indicates the amount of pectin present, but it also
gives some idea of the proper proportions of sugar to juice. If
three-fourths or more of the juice forms a gelatinous mass or clot
this indicates that you should use three-fourths as much sugar as
juice. If the pectin is slightly gelatinous or is less than