Raspberry, black raspberry, and blackberry seeds are NOT palatable. It is just sheer laziness not to strain them. It does not get renamed jelly because one removes the seeds. It is more refined and you will not be picking seeds from your teeth for the next week. I've been making it this way for years and the recpients are always thrilled.
I tried the sieve and food mill methods & all I got was juice. The seeds are remived, but so is the pulp. I would love to know if someone has found another way.
Not sure why you're straining the seeds. All the raspberry seeds I've ever met are fairly innocuous. If it were me, and I read a recipe that told me to do that, I'd just ignore it.
One of the best things about raspberry jam, to my mind, is how easy it is -- no prep really, just cook it up, ladle into clean jars, process, done! ;o)
My mother had raspberry bushes - heavenly. Seeds never bothered me either, but I had a close relative with colitis - unfortunately for him, the seeds made raspberries off limits. Many people with Crohn's disease/colitis and other related conditions are advised not to eat fruits with small seeds, so that's one reason for straining.
Piece of cake! Go to Lowes, Home Depot or a paint store and buy a 1 gallon paint strainer bag (nylon or polyester). Wash it well before first use. Puree the raspberries, load through top of bag, give a couple of twists to collapse the bag to the level of the puree then squeeze. It will only take seconds and very little strength to squeeze the puree virtually completely out of the seeds. You can then take the bag to the trash can, turn it inside out and shake. Any remaining seeds and puree will then readily was out of the mesh. Once dry the bag will fold and store in virtually no space.
Far cheaper, faster and does a perfect job of removing >99% of all the seeds. TA DA!
You can only crush the fresh berries before cooking and press through a sieve. Do not cook them first. That is for the making of the jam. It really is expected for raspberry jam to have seeds in it. If you do not like them, then I would recommend making a lovely raspberry jelly. So delish.
SeaJambon: A quick couple pulses in a food processor should leave the seeds fully intact to be removed. Those little f**kers don't puree no matter how much you try. Also, you can save the seeds to infuse vinegar...raspberry vinegar..? Yes.
Actually, PazzoNico - addition of pectin has nothing to do with whether something is a jam, jelly or preserve. Some fruit (like currants, gooseberries, quince...) are so full of natural pectin that no matter whether you are making jam, jelly, a preserve or paste you do not need to add pectin to get a good set. Other fruit (particularly when ripe) is so low in natural pectin that you will either have to cook it down for a very long time or add pectin (or other acid like lemon juice) to get a set -- again, regardless of whether making a jam/jelly/preserve. Jellies are made with just juice (all seeds and pulp removed) -- the best ones are clear/translucent; jams have pulped/crushed fruit and juice; and preserves have small whole fruits (or uniformly sized pieces).
It's only jelly if pectin is added. If you have enough to cook it down to a nice thickness without any thickeners or stabilizers, it's still technically jam, seeds or not.
Puree first, then pass through a fine mesh sieve using the back of a spoon. You could cook them first or not. But, cooking them first will make it easier to push through the sieve and the seeds also contain natural pectin, which will add to the final texture and consistency of the jam.
If you add pectin though, the result will be closer to jelly than jam.
Is it that you don't like the seeds? Because most raspberry jams have the seeds in them.
Either pushing through a sieve (back of a ladle works best for your pushing tool) or using a food mill works best. I usually remove about half the seeds when making raspberry (or blackberry) jam, simply because I like the berry flavor more than the seed crunch, but it wouldn't seem right without a bit of crunch!
PazzoNico is right that if you thoroughly strain the seeds and pulp (resulting in just clear juice) and then add sugar and pectin, what you will technically have is jelly not jam.
Personally, I wouldn't puree first simply because I don't want the seeds to get even smaller (they get chopped up in the puree process too) and harder to remove.
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One of the best things about raspberry jam, to my mind, is how easy it is -- no prep really, just cook it up, ladle into clean jars, process, done! ;o)
Far cheaper, faster and does a perfect job of removing >99% of all the seeds. TA DA!
Voted the Best Reply!
If you add pectin though, the result will be closer to jelly than jam.
Is it that you don't like the seeds? Because most raspberry jams have the seeds in them.
PazzoNico is right that if you thoroughly strain the seeds and pulp (resulting in just clear juice) and then add sugar and pectin, what you will technically have is jelly not jam.
Personally, I wouldn't puree first simply because I don't want the seeds to get even smaller (they get chopped up in the puree process too) and harder to remove.