221: not all it's cracked up to be?

[desperance]

Science may not after all be the reliable guide I was looking for. This is disappointing to me; I may be obliged after all to fall back on craft.

In January, I made my regular Seville orange marmalade; this week, I made kumquat marmalade, because kumquats.

In January, I trusted to science and boiled it to 221 degrees F, and bottled it up - and did it set? Hah! I laugh at your naive questioning, O Internet! I poured it out of the jars and boiled it again, and had to take it to 226 before achieving a decent set.

This week? I boiled it barely to 221 - and it's setting hard as rubber.

Presumably there is different levels of pectin somewhat to blame here (American Sevilles, I find, are very light on pips), but even so, I am disappoint. I wanted to be able to watch numbers. I like numbers. I don't like faffing about with cold saucers and dribbles and is-it-wrinkly-yet?

Comments

[inamac]

I share your confusion. Last year I did two batches, one of which set like concrete and the other is closer to honey - I was wondering whether to combine them (except that one is Seville and the other 'three fruit'). Both hit the 'set mark on the thermometer.

I blame the weather. And cats.

[desperance]

Yes. Let us blame cats.