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| I have some wild blackberries from the Klamath River and would like to make some seedless jam.
I need to buy something to separate the seeds and I don't know what to buy. I've seen metal cones with a wooden pestle (some have a stand), and a seive that captures the fruit and pushes it through small holes when you turn the handle. Sorry, I don't know the name of them. Can you tell me what you use, and why you like it (or don't like it). Thanks in advance, Sharon |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by terri_pacnw (My Page) on Mon, Oct 6, 08 at 18:50
| I use a metal/mesh strainer and a wooden spoon. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Looks kinda like this
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- Posted by greenbean08 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 7, 08 at 0:28
| The cone (called a chinois - I just searched around recently to figure out what the heck they're called), unless it has smaller holes than mine, will take out some seeds, but not nearly enough (this is based on raspberries, but I'd guess they're similar). I had better luck with the strainer like terri pacnw linked to. Maybe there is some special gadget out there, but I don't live at the house with all the berries anymore, so I never explored the options any further. I tried using cheesecloth also I think, but seems I didn't like that method. |
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| Pantyhose? ;) |
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- Posted by readinglady (My Page) on Tue, Oct 7, 08 at 1:50
| I use the colander/sieve attachment on my old KitchenAid. (Newer KitchenAids have a strainer attachment of a different design.) It doesn't get out every seed but it gets out the majority of them. Most stand mixers offer some kind of strainer attachment, but unless you have plans to use it regularly, it may not be worth the money. For smaller batches pressing through a fine sieve will do the job. If you can find the tighter-weave cheesecloth (like King Arthur Flour sells), you can line the sieve and get better results. If you remove all the seeds, odds are your jam will be a softer set because the pectin level will be lower. That's not a bad thing, just something to be aware of. Carol |
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| A true chinois is a very, very fine straner, and is pretty expensive. (Not as fine as panthose, but close!) There are similar cone-shaped strainers that have holes like colanders, that sounds like what greenbean has. |
Here is a link that might be useful: chinois
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- Posted by publickman (My Page) on Tue, Oct 7, 08 at 19:09
| I've had a chinois for about 20 years now, and it was expensive when I bought it. It's a bit different from the ones they make now, and I like mine better. You might be able to find one on eBay. When I bought mine, it was called a Chinaman's Cap or China Cap. I guess that's not PC anymore. I use my chinois for staining soup stock mainly, but I bought it to use with strawberries. Julia Child used one when she made strawberry soufflé. It works much better than a food mill, but it is not as efficient as my Juiceman juicer, which removes all pulp, however. You can also use a blender to get the seeds loose and then strain the fruit through a sieve or colander. It's faster if you blend the berries first. Lars |
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| I would think one of those Italian tomato straining machines would work too, and be quicker than trying to hand strain through a sieve. Of course, whether you wanted to make the investment would depend a lot on whether you would se it enough. To get the benefit of the pectin from the seeds you could put them in a cheesecloth bag and boil them with the jam. |
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| My teeth have a low tolerance for the seeds so I try to get out as many as I can. I've found a foley mill with a small holed sieve insert works. Makes a mess but what can I say. This picture is from pickyourown.org.
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- Posted by terri_pacnw (My Page) on Wed, Oct 8, 08 at 0:23
| My food mill isn't adjustable..durn it.. But still the cheapest way is a fine mesh strainer and a wooden spoon.. Have an ice pack and some Motrin for your tired arm though..LOL |
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| When I made blackberry jam I used the oxo food mill. Which took out most of the seeds. To get out the rest of the seeds I put the blackberry pulp/liquid through an inexpensive fine mesh strainer (a lot easier after you use the food mill). |
Here is a link that might be useful: Fine mesh strainer
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| I don't bother to try to get the seeds out of jam, I just strain the whole mess and make jelly instead, or leave the seeds in, LOL. However, I find my Squeezo gets out most of the seeds, much like Carol's kitchen aid attachment, and that works well enough for me. I used to use the seive and wooden spoon combo like Terri until I realized that I didn't really care THAT much. (grin) As pointed out, though, you'll get a softer set. Annie |
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