My Jam Making Gadget Review

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I bought my self a mother's day present.

Well, I bought it around Mother's Day.

I like to have my own strawberry freezer jam.

However it is a job I don't enjoy because of all the stirring and then mine has NEVER set properly.  It still tastes wonderful but doesn't set up well.  I've always used Sure Gel in the past.

I saw this Ball Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker on Amazon.

So I bought it!

I went out and bought the strawberries and the correct Pectin which has to be Ball Real Fruit Classic Pectin.  (Nothing else)

The only complaints people had about this item is that it didn't make large batches.  

It just makes four 8oz jars at a time.

You can't double the recipe it says or it won't turn out.

I see no problem with just making another batch.  It's really easy and after you cut and mash your strawberries, the machine does the rest.

I actually got 4 1/2 jars out of my batches.  I don't know why, I measured everything to the letter!

But it has beautiful color and it set up perfectly!!  I was so excited about that!!!!

OK

Now for my complaint.

Because the berries boil as it proceeds though it's cycle, the resulting jam does not taste like my other freezer jam that tasted exactly like fresh strawberries.

This tastes like regular canned jam even though I'm freezing it instead of doing the whole canning water bath thing.

Don't get me wrong.  It's very good but for me not as good as the old, even though runny, freezer jam.

It's easy and everything goes into the dishwasher.  No sticky messes which I always had the other way!

I'll try some other fruits and see how they do.

Ball does make an Instant Pectin for freezer jam.  (Which I bought by mistake at first)  It's not for this machine but I'll try it and report.  It's only supposed to take 30 minutes.  No cooking or even boiling of the pectin but it does include 3-4 minutes of constant stirring.

We'll see if it sets up!

Has anyone of you tried this Automatic Ball Jam and Jelly Maker??

Shirley