Can I save this cranberry sauce?

lydia1959

15 years ago

I made the cranberry sauce recipe that call for cranberries, orange juice and sugar. The recipe says it thickens upon cooling. I made mine around noon and it is still soupy (It has been in the fridge for hours). Can I reheat or add something to thicken it? I need to take it (or the canned stuff) to a dinner tomorrow. TIA

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (17)

wildchild
15 years ago
If you didn't cook it enough the cranberries may not have split enough to release their natural pectin. You could try reheating it to a boil and making sure they are cooked to bursting before cooling again.
lydia1959
Original Author
15 years ago
Wildchild, a lot of them did burst. I cooked them about 13 minutes, the recipe said 10 minutes... so reheating them won't hurt?
Related Discussions
Looking for cranberry sauce recipes for canning
Q
Comments (17)
Ellie Topp's Quick Apple Cranberry Chutney recipe for canning is similar to Zabby's but actually contains a much higher proportion of onion and pepper relative to the amount of cranberries, and less apple. Zabby's has a little less vinegar, but since the pH of cranberry juice is pretty similar to vinegar, I think Zabby's recipe is roughly equivalent to Ellie Topp's. Bullmastiff, here's a cranberry conserve recipe with nuts from the Ball Blue Book. I don't see why you couldn't leave out the raisins, and use the juice of one orange instead of the whole thing, since cranberries have enough natural pectin to set on their own. I would feel fine adding an apple since you're working so low in the pH range with those cranberries, but I can't find a comparable recipe with apples and nuts (the Nutty Plum Conserve has a higher proportion of nuts but is acidified with bottled lemon juice). Cranberry Conserve 1 orange (unpeeled), seeded and finely chopped 2 c water 4 c cranberries 1/2 c raisins 3 c granulated sugar 1/2 c chopped nuts Combine orange and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, partially cover, and boil until peel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries, raisins, and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Return to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil hard until mixture thickens, 10-15 minutes. Stir in nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel. Skim foam and pack into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process 15 minutes in BWB. The recipe note says to make sure your nuts don't smell stale, and that you can toast the nuts in a dry skillet to bring out their flavor. Makes about 4 8-oz jars. Melissa
...See More
Canning Cranberry Sauce
Q
Comments (4)
I just toss the bags of cranberries into the freezer. Pull them out when you need some and usually don't even have to defrost, just rinse quickly and cook. I cannot tell the difference whatsoever. Nancy
...See More
Canning Chile Cranberry Sauce
Q
Comments (17)
I just realized that I didnÂt include the procedure I used or the yield when I posted the ingredients earlier. IÂll try this one more time incase anyone wants to use it. Habanero Cranberry Jelly Ingredients: 3/4 cup cider vinegar 3/4 cup white vinegar 2 cups 100% unsweetened cranberry juice 1/2 cup finely diced habanero pepper 1/2 cup finely diced red onion 1 3/4 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped 1 pkg liquid pectin 5 cups sugar Procedure: Finely dice peppers and onion and coarsely chop cranberries In a large sauce pan, combine cranberries, pepper, onion, vinegars, and juice Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low Simmer 15 Â 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend and to soften up cranberries Add sugar and return to a hard boil for 1 minute Remove from heat and stir liquid pectin in well Add jelly to hot sterilized jars Wipe rim of jars with a clean damp towel Position lids as per usual instructions Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes Remove jars and allow them to cool During the cooling, periodically "gently" invert jars to distribute solids. Yield 7 or 8 - 250ml (1 cup) jars (Zeppy, did another batch today... now I have 15 jars for personal use and giifting)
...See More
Canned cranberry sauce/jelly
Q
Comments (33)
Reporting back--I decided to use a melon baller instead of cutting the jelly into cubes, then sprinkled the fruit with chia seeds and skipped the walnuts. The mint leaves were all frozen, so I used celery leaves: I used the leftovers of the cranberry jelly, mixed with pineapple juice, to glaze the ham. It was delicious! My impressions of canned cranberry jelly: It was very bland, compared to my homemade relish, but the tart and sweet fruit gave the salad enough punch. It was very refreshing with the baked ham. I wouldn't eat the jelly alone, but the texture is perfect if you want to spread it on a sandwich, which I don't. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here is my Cranberry Relish Recipe For A Crowd, for lovemrmewey: 4 12oz packages fresh cranberries, rinsed 1 tsp minced candied ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger 3 cups sugar (I short each cup by a couple of tablespoons) 4 6oz packages of gelatin--any red or orange--I use red raspberry 2 20oz cans crushed pineapple, drained (reserve liquid) 4 11oz-15oz cans mandarin oranges, drained (reserve liquid) 2 tart apples, finely chopped zest of one orange, or 2Tbs OJ concentrate Make gelatin using the reserved liquid from the pineapple and mandarin oranges, with enough water added to complete the instructions. Chill until almost set--thick but not solid. While gelatin is chilling, cook 3 packages of the cranberries with 3 cups water and sugar. Cool. Grind the cooked cranberries with the remaining uncooked cranberries. I use a blender for this step. Cranberries can be cooked the night before and allowed to cool overnight in fridge. Mix the almost set gelatin, cranberry mixture, drained fruit, and orange zest. Chill until set. Keeps well for several days, and can be frozen. OT, here's a pic of my Christmas Eve cheese fish, requested by my grandson. Brother and SIL brought shrimp, so 10yr old GS had fun telling everyone 'Merry Fishmas'. Diabetic cherry Christmas pie for my father:
...See More
glenda_al
15 years ago
good luck
lydia1959
Original Author
15 years ago
Okay.. I reboiled them for awhile, smashed them up and added a lil' bit of cornstarch (after reading some of the reviews). It is cooling now, but already seems a bit thicker. Will see what it looks like in the morning. Fingers crossed. :-)
carla35
15 years ago
I usually cook mine a few minutes longer than it says to.

What recipe did you use? Generally, it should be a cup of liquid, a cup of sugar, and a bag of cranberries.

I would have suggested heating it back up and maybe trying to add a little red jello to the mix but the cornstarch should work too. Let us know how it turns out.
arcy_gw
15 years ago
Mine was soupy this year too. I did not follow the directions on the package very well. It says to boil the sugar water for a few minutes first before adding the cranberries, this would make the sugar thicker. We ate ours as is. It was not a deal breaker.
jannie
15 years ago
I'd heat it up, stir in a packet of Knox unflavored gelatin, then move it to the fridge. Good luck.
jannie
15 years ago
Or any red Jell-o.
lydia1959
Original Author
15 years ago
It is nice and thick this morning. I took a taste to be sure it tasted okay and it does.

Carla, my recipe was for a double batch - 2 12 oz bags of cranberries, 2 cups OJ and 2 cups sugar.
oldgardener_2009
15 years ago
Mine was soupy, so I put it in a strainer to get the extra liquid out and it was fine.

I had used a cup of water, which I think was just too much liquid.
Georgysmom
15 years ago
Next time try this recipe. It's never failed for me.

Spicy Cranberries

1/2 C sugar
1/4 C water
2" stick cinnamon
1 C. fresh cranberries
orange or lemon peel twist

In small saucepan combine first three ingredients. Bring mix to boiling. Add cranberries and return to boil. Boil rapidly 2 minutes or just until cranberries begin to pop. Put in serving dish, cool. Cover and chill thoroughly. Before serving, remove cinnamon stick and bring to room temp. Garnish with orange or lemon peel if desired. Makes 3/4 cup (I made 1 1/2 recipe for us and have plenty left over but there was only two out of four that eat cranberries. Great with any poultry or ham.
linda_in_iowa
15 years ago
This is my never-fail recipe.
1 pkg. cranberries
1 C sugar
1/2 C orange juice
1/2 C water
Cook over medium heat until cranberries pop. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier. Refrigerate.
lydia1959
Original Author
15 years ago
Mine (recipe very similar to Linda's) turned out really well at today's meal. I think I just didn't cook it long enough the first time since I had doubled the recipe.
carla35
15 years ago
Glad it turned out. Yeah, I was thinking about it; Your measurements sound right so I'm thinking that you probably have to cook it longer than the 10 minutes because the batch is doubled. I usually do a double or triple batch too and always cook it longer than noted.
murraysmom Zone 6a OH
15 years ago
How long will my leftovers of this be good? It's delicious, but I still have some left.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
I've been adding a cup of chopped apples to my cranberries, after I turn off the heat. Yum! Sometimes, I use orange juice, though I think I like it better with just a little zest. I always get asked to bring the cranberry relish.
carla35
15 years ago
I found this info when I was looking up storage time... which I think for the homemade stuff is about a week in an airtight container.

It says it needs a full boil for 10 minutes (sometimes I think I may simmer mine a little too much and the boil may be too weak). It also mentions that you have to let it cool at room temperature.. moving it to the fridge to soon can affect the gel. Lastly, they recommend NOT doubling the recipe as it may affect too many variables. (I've personally never had any huge problems..I just let it cook longer).

Here's all you ever wanted to know and then some... Hope this helps for next time...

Here is a link that might be useful: Ocean Spray Sauce

Can I save this cranberry sauce?

Comments (17)

wildchild

lydia1959
Original Author

Related Discussions

glenda_al

lydia1959
Original Author

carla35

arcy_gw

jannie

jannie

lydia1959
Original Author

oldgardener_2009

Georgysmom

linda_in_iowa

lydia1959
Original Author

carla35

murraysmom Zone 6a OH

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

carla35

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Can I save this cranberry sauce?

Comments (17)

lydia1959Original Author

Related Discussions

lydia1959Original Author

lydia1959Original Author

lydia1959Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

lydia1959
Original Author

lydia1959
Original Author

lydia1959
Original Author

lydia1959
Original Author