What is the difference between jelly and jam?

Question

just wondering.

Answer 1

Hi,

The following is taken from a book that I refer to often called "The New Food Lover's Companion" by Sharon Tyler Herbst - a very useful resource of food definitions:

Jelly:
A clear, bright mixture made from fruit juice, sugar and sometimes pectin. The texture is tender but will be firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of its container. Jelly is used as a bread spread and as a filling for some cakes and cookies.

Jam:
A thick mixture of fruit, sugar (and sometimes pectin) that is cooked until the pieces of fruit are very soft and almost formless. It is used as a bread spread, a filling for pastries and cookies and an ingredient for various desserts.

In sum, I'd say the biggest difference is that Jam contains peices of whole fruit where the Jelly contains the juice part only of the fruit.

You also have preserves and marmalade too.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Hold the jar in both hands and shake vigorously
If the contents barely move it's jam, if the contents wiggle and jiggle it's jelly. Remember the golden rule of preserves. It must be jelly cause jam don't shake like that.

Answer 3

Jam has more whole fruit or pieces of fruit in it. Jelly is more clear and doesn't have any pieces. When you're making jelly, you would strain the hot fruit liquid before putting it in the jars.

Answer 4

Jam contains at least parts of the entire fruit and jelly just the juice.

Answer 5

Jelly is the clear juice, thickened; and jam has parts of the fruit in it.

Answer 6

I always thought the difference was that jelly is seedless and jam has seeds in it.

Answer 7

Jelly is gelatine like where jam is not

Answer 8

jelly is whole fruit crushed
jam is when they remove all seeds and blends it until its perfectly smooth

Answer 9

Jelly has no seeds,and jam does.But it sure is good.

Answer 10

Sillys, they are spelled different