Jam, Jelly, Sauce, Syrup -- What's the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between jam jelly and sauce? ›

Jam is made from mashed fruit. Jelly is made from just the juice of the fruit. Sauce is made from mashed fruit but uses less pectin than jam and is less jelled. Syrup is made from either mashed fruit or just the juice of the fruit, but uses even less pectin than sauce so it is slightly jelled and pourable.

While jam uses the whole fruit, jelly calls for just the essence — the fruit juice. Jelly has no seeds or fruit pulp in it, and is completely smooth in texture. When jelly is made, the fruit is crushed to extract the juice, which is then strained to keep all the pulp and seeds out.

Texture: jam has a semi-firm consistency, and the cooked-down fruit lends it a chunkier texture. Jelly has a firmer consistency than jam and is uniform in texture. Appearance: jelly is more translucent than jam.

Conserve: made of whole fruit cooked in sugar water. Has chunks of fruit in a gelled "background". Jam: also made of whole fruit cooked in sugar water, but cooked long enough that the fruit pieces are soft enough to spread. Compote: chunks of fruit in a thin liquid, not gelled at all.

Jams are usually stewed fruit with the fruit in it and lots of sugar and pectin that thickens and makes it gel, and is a condiment for toast or used in baked goods. Ketchup might be cooked tomatoes but it is more processed than jam, and has a different range of tastes to be used on meat or other foods.

Jelly is specifically a fruit preserve that is created just like jam where fruits are boiled and sugar is added until pectin acts as a gelling agent to thicken it into jelly. Jelly just removes the pulp that jam would have. Ketchup is not made this way.

Jam and jelly have virtually the same nutritional value, fruity taste, and spreadable texture. Thus, you can use them interchangeably. That said, some studies have analyzed the nutritional profile of jams after 9 months in storage and observed no significant losses in their antioxidant content.

What is the American English for jam? Well, the word jam is used in the US, though the more common term is jelly. In US English, the technical distinction is that jams contain both the juice and flesh of the fruit, whereas jellies don't contain any of the flesh.

Welch's Jelly is made from fruit juice and Welch's Jam is made from pureed fruit. So to put it simply, though we use the same ingredients, the texture of both products will be different.

But he did have a predilection for one incredibly fancy and expensive jam: Maison Dutriez's red currant jam, a 14th-century French preserve so finicky and expensive (at 18 Euro per 85 grams) that it has the nickname “red currant caviar.” Maison Dutriez's jam hails from the northern French medieval town of Bar-le-Duc in ...

Which spreads smoother jelly or jam? ›

Since jam is made from crushed fruit or pulp, it tends to be chunkier (but not as chunky as preserves) and more flavorful, but less spreadable. On the other hand, jelly is only made from juice or syrup, so it's easy to spread but doesn't bring as much to the table in terms of flavor.

A compote is filled with chunks and cooked for a shorter amount of time. It's similar to a chunky syrup and can be served over desserts like yogurt or ice cream. Syrups: Fruit and sugar is blended or macerated. Try it out in drinks!

But first, how are sauces and syrups different from jams and jellies? Jam is made from mashed fruit. Jelly is made from just the juice of the fruit. Sauce is made from mashed fruit but uses less pectin than jam and is less jelled.

Both a jam and a chutney will contain sugar, although a jam would be much sweeter, with the chutney having a more acidic, tangy flavour from the addition of vinegar. To preserve a chutney a combination of vinegar and sugar are used, whilst in a jam it is the sugar alone which acts as the preserving agent.

Pectin. Pectin is a mucilaginous substance (gummy substance extracted from plants), occurring naturally in pears, apples, quince, oranges, and other citrus fruits. It is used as the gelling agent in traditional jams and jellies.

Jams are thick, sweet spreads made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar. Jams tend to hold their shape but are generally less firm than jelly. Jellies are usually made by cooking fruit juice with sugar.

Calling this dish a “sauce” is a bit of a misnomer, as cranberry sauce is actually a simple fruit jam. Cranberries are naturally high in pectin (a naturally occuring gel). When cranberries are cooked with sugar and acid (such as orange or lemon juice), the pectin is released and gels the fruit.