What is jam usually used for

Jam is usually used to spread bread, make desserts, or pair with foods such as yogurt, which can add flavor and supplement small amounts of vitamins and minerals. The main uses of jam include seasoning with meals, baking ingredients, beverage preparation, snack dipping sauce, cooking accessories, etc.

1. Flavoring with meals

Jam can be directly applied to toast, Mantou and other staple foods as a condiment for breakfast or afternoon tea. Strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce and other sweet and sour flavors can neutralize the monotony of staple food, while orange sauce and apple sauce are suitable for pairing with cheese. Some low sugar sauces can also be used to make sandwich sandwiches, but it is important to control intake to avoid excessive sugar content.

2. Baking Ingredients

When making baked goods such as cakes and cookies, jam is often used as a layer or surface decoration. Raspberry sauce is suitable for filling macarons, apricot sauce can be used to make Danish pastries, and cherry sauce is mostly used for Black Forest cakes. Before use, the jam can be heated and diluted appropriately to make it easier to apply evenly. The sugar content in jam during baking can promote the Maillard reaction, forming an attractive color.

3. Beverage Preparation

Adding jam to warm water or sparkling water can quickly make flavored drinks, such as blueberry sauce sparkling water, grapefruit sauce hot tea, etc. Some cocktails also use blackcurrant sauce to add depth. Attention should be paid to the high sugar content of commercially available jam, and it is recommended to reduce the addition of other sugars during preparation. Homemade candy free sauce is more suitable for pairing with light tea drinks such as green tea and flower tea.

4. Snack dip

Thick jam is suitable for dipping waffles, muffins and other Dim sum. Mango jam with fried milk, hawthorn jam with Chinese yam cake are common combinations. When giving to children, they can choose hypoallergenic apple or pear jam to avoid allergies caused by berry jam. Adding a small amount of jam to yogurt can both enhance seasoning and increase the survival rate of probiotics.

5. Cooking accessories

When cooking meat, orange jam can be used as dipping sauce for roast duck, and plum jam can remove the greasy feeling of Braised pork belly. In western food, cranberry sauce is often used with turkey, while in Chinese food, Sweet and sour pork meat is made with hawthorn sauce. The fruit acid in jam can soften the meat during cooking, but prolonged high temperature cooking can damage vitamins. It is recommended to add it later.

When choosing jam, it is recommended to check the ingredient list and prioritize products with fruit content exceeding 50%. Self made jam can control the addition of sugar, and it is more suitable for diabetes patients to replace part of sucrose with sugar substitutes. After opening, it should be refrigerated and consumed within two weeks. If mold or alcohol smell appears, it should be discarded immediately. It is recommended to consume no more than 20 grams per meal in daily life, and pairing it with whole wheat bread or oatmeal can slow down the rise of blood sugar. Special populations with sugar intolerance should avoid consuming high fructose varieties such as peach jam and pear jam.