The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Recipes => Topic started by: Sudanpan on August 15, 2011, 07:08:41 pm
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The last couple of batches of chutney we have made this year have been a real nightmare >:( >:(
EG this was the batch we did yesterday:
3kg ripe toms
1 kg apples
500g onions
750ml vinegar
600g sultanas
400g sugar
Chilis
We ended up simmering the mix for about 6 hours (!) and it still didn't thicken up very much ??? ??? And to add insult to injury - although there is no evidence of burning (we invested in thick bottomed pans and a heat diffuser) there seems to be a slight burnt taste
We also made ketchup which also just didn't particularly thicken (despite losing half its fluid volume in the simmering process)
What am I doing wrong? Any ideas/suggestions would be most welcome
Thanks
Tish
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Reduce your temperature and cook for longer. Towards the end you will have to watch the consistency and stir the bottom of the pan a lot so that it doesn't stick and/or burn. Never let it cool and reheat, that will definitely burn...my experience. You are not alone, been there - done that a lot of times myself!
Looking at your recipe again, it looks like a lot of vinegar for the amount of veg/fruit. I would try to reduce it to 500 ml, especially as tomatos contain a lot of liquid.
Ketchup - same advice, longer stewing on very low heat. I have produced a few bottles myself when impatience has caused some juice to collect at the top of ketchup - after bottling! :&>
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I have nursed a pot of chutney on the stove all blinkin day to get it down to a decent consitency. Yep - less vinegar. I'm sure it will taste good though!
Olly :yum:
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Thanks - will give it a go on the next batch ;D
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Ellie had the same problem yesterday - I said to drain off the excess liquid and bottle it as a sauce. It was a gorgeous dark colour.
I have just made spicy plum and apple chutney, very little sugar, but it tastes delicious even if I do say it myself - good enough to have with ice cream even! It was too sweet fro a whiel but I added more vinegar and I think it's just right now. Time will tell - No 1 son is coming over tomorrow - he can test it! ;D
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You just need to leave it for longer on a low heat. I have been known to leave chutney on the cool side of the Rayburn overnight. It was perfect by the morning.
I generally find that chutney recipes have too much vinegar in them
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The last batch we tried I used about half the vinegar that was stipulated in the recipe. Also I brought the whole mixture up to a rolling boil for a while and then letting it go back down to a simmer - seems to work much better ;D ;D
Thanks :wave:
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I do find tomato chutneys take longer to reduce. more moisture in the fruit. Also in sultanas, my recipe says raisins. Well worth the trouble though. :yum:
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As doganjo says, I had too much vinegar in the recipe I am using for plum chutney this year and all 3 batches done to date have taken way longer to get down to proper chutney consistency, but they've all made it eventually and been really yummy too..
I had a first attempt at mayonnaise yesterday and that too seems to have had way too much oil in the recipe, it came out more of a salad dressing than a mayo :o but was used up on a bowl of coleslaw and coated it well enough, tasted fine too so just not sure what is wrong with recipes and me!
On a brighter note, a bright yellow note, my friend was up from Sussex and we had a first go at lemon curd - she did all the stirring cos I sometimes lack patience ;) but it came out absolutely gorgeous and has been tested on oatcakes, porridge and off a spoon with 3 jars off a recipe using 5 complete eggs..
The egg whites from the yolks used for the mayo sadly refused to peak/beat/whip up at all and had to be abandoned, or I would have had meringues with lemon curd on for tea :( No idea what I did wrong, maybe using the hand blender but a hand balloon whisk did no better ???
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No 1 son is coming over tomorrow - he can test it! ;D
No 1 son went off with one jar, No 1 Sister went off with another, No 1 Daughter went off with the third, leaving poor old me with the dregs in a bowl in the fridge - which No 1 sister helped me finish off. So now I am bereft of plum chutney :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
However, my pal just gave me some pears so that's the next project, possibly tonight. Don't like eating them so will look for a recipe on the net
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I have had this problem a few times and have had varying results with
!: Add vegetable thickeners like the "BIG Company's" do: neutral bulkers like carrot, pumpkin, zucchini, squash or other 'bland' fillers
2:Try vegetable thickeners like Okra, or apple ( or other pectin rich fruits)
3:Instead of reducing the entire batch, do a strain and drain:: reduce the liquid part of the mix ONLY, leaving the mass behind to avoid overcooking or burning. Once the liquid part has simmerd down, re-add to the mix.