What is the difference between jam, jelly and preserves?

Answer 1

Jelly is fruit juice cooked with sugar and usually pectin and cooled until it gels. If you hold a spoon of jelly up to the light you can see through it - like jello.

Jam is made from crushed fruit, cooked with sugar until it thickens. Some jams need pectin - I usually make jam without pectin. The texture of jam can be pretty smooth but if you hold a spoon of jam up to the light you will not be able to see through it.

Preserves are made from sliced or chopped fruit cooked in sugar until it thickens. If you hold a spoon of preserves up to the light you should see pieces of fruit suspended in see through jelly.

Answer 2

it depends on whether u are american or not. americans call what we call jam, jell-o...
Well, the standard english meaning of jam is that it is a semi-solid substance made by boiling fruits and sugar to form a pulp like semi-solid substance.
Jelly is a a solid (at room temperature) substance which is solidified when cooled. This generally contains artificial ingredients which is meant to substitute the taste of real fruit.
Preserves are fruit which have been preserved in a jar, in a liquid which acts as the preserving agent. The fruit is (unlike in a jam) in its original form or shape, placed in the liquid preservative.

Answer 3

Jelly is smooth, jam is thicker and has bits and pieces of fruit, preserves has a lot more fruit.

Answer 4

Jam is ground up fruit,jelly is just the juice and preserves has chunks of fruit.

Answer 5

Jam is homemade, jelly is store-bought, and preserves are too expensive.

Answer 6

I don't know the difference, but I do know that some of you people are bring Jell-o into the mix. Jell-o is a brand name gelatin dessert. Not a spread, like the items in question.

Answer 7

jam has actual pieces of fruit in it, jelly is smooth.

Answer 8

Jell-O

Jell-O is a very popular dessert as there are hundreds of different ways to use Jell-O. With it, you can create everything from basic gelatin squares to ornate designs that incorporate varied Jell-O flavors, fruit, and whipped toppings. Jell-O consists of four basic ingredients:
1.gelatin
2.water
3.sugar/artificial sweetener/flavors
4.food coloring
Gelatin
The gelatin in Jell-O is what lets you transform it into all sorts of different shapes. Gelatin is a processed version of a structural protein called collagen that is found in many animals (as well as humans).
The gelatin you eat in Jell-O comes from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves, and connective tissues. Gelatin is made when these various parts are grinded up and pre-treated with either a strong acid or a strong base to break down cellular structures and release proteins like collagen. After pre-treatment, the resulting mixture is boiled. During this process, the large collagen protein ends up being partially broken down. The result is gelatin. The gelatin is easily extracted because it forms a layer on the surface of the boiling mixture.
Gelatin is a common ingredient in foods because it is so versatile. It’s most common use is as a gelling agent (as in Jell-O), but it can also serve as a thickener, an emulsifier, and a stabilizer. You'll find it in a variety of foods, such as:

gummy bears
yogurt
chewing gum
sour cream
cream cheese
cake icing and frosting
marshmallows
soups, sauces and gravies
canned ham and chicken
corned beef
sausage

[Gelatin is also used to make the coating for pills that makes them easier to swallow. It can be found in cosmetics, lozenges, and ointments.]
When you buy a box of Jell-O, you get a small packet of powdered gelatin with artificial flavorings and colors. At room temperature, the gelatin protein is in the form of a triple helix. Three separate chains of amino acids (polypeptide chains) have lined up and twisted around each other. The helix is held together by weak bonds that form between the amino acids.
To make a gelatin mold, you have to add boiling water to the powdered gelatin. You then stir the mixture for 2-3 minutes until the gelatin dissolves completely. The energy of the heated water is enough to break up the weak bonds holding the gelatin strands together. The helical structure falls apart, and you are left with free polypeptide chains floating about in solution.
The next step is to add cold water and place the dissolved gelatin in the refrigerator to chill for several hours. When the mixture is cooled down, the polypeptide chains begin to re-associate and try to reform the tight triple helix structure. Since the chilling process is slow and the individual strands have been randomly dispersed through mixing, the helices never return to normal. There are gaps and tangled webs of polypeptide chains in the helix. When the gelatin solution is chilled, water is trapped inside these gaps and pockets between chains. The protein net that is left after chilling gives the gelatin mold its shape. The trapped water provides the Jell-O with its characteristic jiggle.
This semisolid formed is a gel. The longer you leave the Jell-O in the refrigerator, the more solid it becomes as more weak bonds have time to form. Sometimes, gels do not form or they do not become firm enough. The best conditions for Jell-O are a pH level of about 5 with a little sugar. If fruits are added, the more acidic ones are more likely to jell.
Jelly, Jam, and Preserves
Jelly, jam and preserves are all made from fruit mixed with sugar and pectin. The difference between them comes in the form that the fruit takes.
Jelly = fruit in the form of fruit juice
Jam = fruit in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit (which is why it is less stiff than jelly)
Preserves = fruit in the form of chunks in syrup or jam













Pectin
Pectin is an indigestible carbohydrate (fiber). It is found in the cell walls of fruits like grapes, berries, green apples, and citrus fruits. It is a long, chainlike molecule made up of smaller structures similar to those of sugar. When heated with sugar in water, pectin gels. Pectin is what gives jam, jelly and preserves their thickness.
To make preserves from fruits that naturally contain pectin, you boil the fruits to release the pectin. If you are using a fruit that does not have pectin, you add it to the fruit. As the juice is boiling, the negatively-charged pectin molecules repel one another and their charge attracts water molecules around them. Fruits that are acidic, like green apples and grapes, neutralize the charge on the pectin molecule. If the fruit is not acidic, you can neutralize the mixture by adding lemon juice. Sugar is then added and the solution is boiled until the sugar concentration reaches 60% – 65 %. The concentrated sugar solution attracts water molecules from the pectin. The pectin molecules are then free to bond to each other. As they bond, they trap the ingredients, forming a gel.
The amount of pectin in the preserves determines its stiffness. Too little pectin makes the preserves runny while too much pectin makes them rubbery. If there is too little acid or too little sugar, a syrup will form instead of a gel.

Answer 9

the spelling. lol -- sorry, that was funny.

seriously though, i'm not sure -- look it up on yahoo. it probably has to do with the consistency.

Answer 10

Nothing really, it's merely a matter of semantics.