yes to all these comments. And, one way to avoid it is - if in doubt - interrupt your cooking. Cool some to room temp (refrigerate the rest) and see its texture. Then, if needed, carefully resume cooking. You can always cook more, but not less.
It can also be a little burned or over caramelized on the bottom. As others have said , sometimes Relying on the thermometer can yield odd results. I usually use the cold plate method , and Laurie Colwin's eyeball method.. It is finished when it looks "jammy ". Your results will also depend on the fruit you use, the sweetener you use, the humidity on the day you make the Jam, your stove, or your pot. Happily, even if it I is a little too firm, or a little too liquid, it will still taste better and fresher than store bought, and the more you make ,and the more kinds you make, the better you will get at making it.
Do you mean as you're cooking it? Or once it's jarred? When you start cooking, and stirring, it's a bit like stirring a big pot of soup. Then, as you' continue, the contents of the pot seem to start moving with your spoon. Get it off the heat and do the cold plate test. It'll be ready soon. Whatever the consistency in the pot, it will continue to thicken as it cools. I like jams loose, rather than firm, so they "move" in the jar even after the hot water bath. If it's overdone after jarred, it will be quite stiff, even if you turn the jar upside down. But still tasty!
It's too thick. Chewy. Rubbery. We've all done it. The trouble is it's so difficult to tell while it's still hot and bubbling. I've been making jam for more than 50 years and rely mostly on physical evidence plus "feeling." That method's resulted in some great products, but also some runny, underdone versions. Last time I made marmalade, I decided to rely solely on temperature... and I got overly stiff, overly cooked jam.
Greenstuff is so right. Since I live at high altitude, I cannot rely on a thermometer, but use the freezer test instead -- not 100% reliable, as Greenstuff points out, but has generally worked well for me. There are good sources online, with photos, for the freezer test. Put plates and spoons in freezer before starting jam, and test as soon as you think it might even be close to done. It's a bit of an adventure. My saddest jams are made when I don't resist my Pavlov's dog tendencies and answer the phone -- think strawberry jam, scorched, for example. In any case, I wish you happy jam making.
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Relying on the thermometer can yield odd results. I usually use the cold plate method , and Laurie Colwin's eyeball method.. It is finished when it looks "jammy ". Your results will also depend on the fruit you use, the sweetener you use, the humidity on the day you make the
Jam, your stove, or your pot. Happily, even if it I is a little too firm, or a little too liquid, it will still taste better and fresher than store bought, and the more you make ,and the more kinds you make, the better you will get at making it.