Best English Orange Marmalade Recipes

ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Cut oranges and lemons in half crosswise, then into very thin half-moon slices. Discard any seeds. In a large stainless steel pot, add the sliced oranges, lemons, and any accumulated juices.
• Add water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.
• The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 2 hours. Turn heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes.
• Skim off any foam that forms on the top. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees (you must hit this temperature for the natural pectin to gel with the sugar).
• To test if the marmalade is ready, place a small amount on a plate and refrigerate it until it's cool but not cold. If it's firm (neither runny nor hard), it's ready. It will be a golden orange color. If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it; if it's hard, add a bit more water.
• Pour the marmalade into clean hot mason jars; wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel, and seal with the lids. Chill in the refrigerator. It may take 24-48 hours for the natural pectin to set up properly.

THE ULTIMATE TRADITIONAL SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Measure 8 litres/16 pints water and pour into the preserving pan.
• Halve the oranges and lemons and squeeze the juice into a jug. Add the juice to the water and place the pips plus any bits of pith onto a muslin square. Tie the muslin square with kitchen string to hold the pips and pith and add to the pan.
• Shred the orange and lemon peel into thick strips. Don't cut too thin or they will dissolve in the cooking process. Add the peel to the pan.
• Bring the water and juice up to the boil then reduce to a steady simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until the peel is soft.
• Remove the bag of pips from the pan and leave to cool until you can hold it in your hand.
• Add the sugar to the pan constantly stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Squeeze the bag of pips over the pan and extract as much of the jelly-like substance, this helps with the setting of the marmalade. Stir again.
• Turn up the heat and bring to a fast boil for 20 mins, check for setting consistency. Continue boiling until the marmalade reaches the setting point (check every 10 minutes) taking care to stir from time to time to prevent the jam sticking to the bottom and burning. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon. Once the setting point is reached, turn off the heat and leave to settle for 20 minutes.
• Spoon the marmalade into the heated jars using a ladle and funnel. Seal and leave to cool. Store in a cool dark place. Will keep up to one year.

ENGLISH ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Wash the oranges and place them whole in a large pot, cover with water and bring to the boil (more water may be needed as stated depending on the size of your oranges and your pot). Simmer for 90 minutes (skins should be soft and easily pierced with a sharp knife).
• Remove oranges from liquid and cool (keep the liquid). When cook enough to handle with your hands, cut in half and scoop out the pulp and place into a colander. Press down hard with the back of a spoon and add this to the water.
• Slice the orange skins (thick or thin, you choose) and add to the pot. Stir in the sugar and place back on the heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Boil over a high heat for 15-20 minutes. Skim off any scum or froth that rises to the surface.
• Test to see that the marmalade is set (a small spoonful on a fridge cold plate, it should "set" within 60 seconds). If not, cook some more and re-try for setting again.
• Leave hot marmalade in the pot for 30 minutes and stir often, this stops the strips of peel don't sink to the bottom of the pot/jar.
• Ladle into steralised jars. Marmalade will keep for 6 months in the pantry OR 2 weeks in the fridge once opened.

ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Wash the oranges and lemon thoroughly. Cut the oranges into 1/8-inch slices using a mandoline, removing the seeds as you go. Stack the orange slices and cut them into quarters. Place the oranges into an 8-quart stainless steel pot. Add the lemon zest and juice and the water to the pot, set over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 10 minutes. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 40 minutes or until the fruit is very soft.
• While the fruit is cooking, fill a large pot (at least 12-quart) 3/4 full with water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Place 10 (8-ounce) jars and rings, canning funnel, ladle, and tongs into the boiling water and make sure the water covers the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lids and leave everything in the pot until the marmalade is ready.
• Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer. Increase the heat under the orange mixture to return to full boil. Add the sugar and stir the mixture continually, until it reaches 222 to 223 degrees F on a deep-fry or candy thermometer, and darkens in color, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to adjust the heat in order to prevent boil over. Test the readiness of the marmalade by placing a teaspoon of the mixture onto the chilled plate and allowing it to sit for 30 seconds. Tilt the plate. The mixture should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is thin and runs easily, it is not ready.
• Remove jars from the water and drain on a clean towel. Place a canning funnel onto the top of 1 of the jars and ladle in the marmalade just to below the bottom of the threads of the jar. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used. The amount of marmalade may vary by 1 to 2 jars. Wipe the rims and threads of the jars with a moist paper towel and top each with a lid. Place a ring on each jar and tighten.
• Return the jars to the pot with boiling water, being certain that they don't touch the bottom of the pot or each other. (If you don't have a jar rack, try a round cake rack, or metal mesh basket. Even a folded kitchen towel on the pot bottom will do in a pinch.) Add additional water if necessary to cover the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 10 minutes. Using canning tongs, carefully remove the jars from the water, place in a cool dry place and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours before opening. Once open, store in the refrigerator. Unopened marmalade will last for up to 6 months.

HOMEMADE ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash and dry the oranges. Using a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove the brightly colored zest-and only the brightly colored zest-from the oranges. Be sure to leave behind any and all of the white pith directly underneath as it is very bitter.
• Chop the zest. Keep bigger pieces for a chunkier marmalade, and ribbon-like strips for a more spreadable result. Set the zest aside.
• Cut the ends off the zested oranges and then, working with one orange at a time, cut off the thick white pith from around each orange. Discard the ends and white pith.
• Working over a bowl to catch the juices, hold a fully peeled orange and use a sharp knife to cut out each segment between the membranes that hold the sections together.
• Once you've cut out all the fruit, squeeze any juice out of the membranes into the bowl of segmented fruit. Set the membrane aside, along with any seeds (the pectin in these will help "set" the marmalade later).
• Combine the zest, fruit, juice, water, and sugar in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil. Stir just until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring.
• Meanwhile, lay a double layer of cheesecloth in a medium bowl and put the membranes and seeds on top. Lift up the corners and tie the cheesecloth into a bag to hold the membranes and seeds.
• Add this "pectin bag" to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Place a couple of small plates in the freezer to chill.
• Meanwhile, bring the marmalade to 220 F and hold it there for 5 minutes. Be patient, this can take quite a while. Do not stir.
• Put a dollop of the mixture on a chilled plate. Swirl the plate to spread the mixture a bit and drag a spoon through the mixture. If the marmalade is set, the spoon will leave a trail, and you'll still be able to see the plate where you dragged the spoon.
• Remove the pectin bag, squeezing any marmalade out and back into the pot, and discard the bag. Take the marmalade off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Set up 3 clean pint jars with sealable lids (if canning, they should be hot and sterilized) next to the pot.
• Stir the marmalade to distribute the zest evenly in the mixture. Use a ladle to transfer the marmalade into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Put the lids on the jars and refrigerate, or you can proceed with canning.

EASY ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Select Navel oranges that have the thinnest peel.
• If the orange is large double the amount of water and sugar.
• Wash the orange thoroughly.
• Cut off both ends of the orange.
• Cut the orange in half, cut each half in about eight sections.
• Place the orange sections in the food processor and pulse until the peel in is tiny pieces.
• In a medium saucepan place the processed orange, the water and the sugar and bring to a gentle boil.
• Boil for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Let cool, then place in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.
• Refrigerate to store.
• When it is cold it is ready to eat.
• I use 1/2 sugar and 1/2 Splenda and it works well.

ULTIMATE SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE

Steps:

• Put the whole oranges and lemon juice in a large preserving pan and cover with 2 litres/4 pints water - if it does not cover the fruit, use a smaller pan. If necessary weight the oranges with a heat-proof plate to keep them submerged. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for around 2 hours, or until the peel can be easily pierced with a fork.
• Warm half the sugar in a very low oven. Pour off the cooking water from the oranges into a jug and tip the oranges into a bowl. Return cooking liquid to the pan. Allow oranges to cool until they are easy to handle, then cut in half. Scoop out all the pips and pith and add to the reserved orange liquid in the pan. Bring to the boil for 6 minutes, then strain this liquid through a sieve into a bowl and press the pulp through with a wooden spoon - it is high in pectin so gives marmalade a good set.
• Pour half this liquid into a preserving pan. Cut the peel, with a sharp knife, into fine shreds. Add half the peel to the liquid in the preserving pan with the warm sugar. Stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, for about 10 minutes, then bring to the boil and bubble rapidly for 15- 25 minutes until setting point is reached.
• Take pan off the heat and skim any scum from the surface. (To dissolve any excess scum, drop a small knob of butter on to the surface, and gently stir.) Leave the marmalade to stand in the pan for 20 minutes to cool a little and allow the peel to settle; then pot in sterilised jars, seal and label. Repeat from step 3 for second batch, warming the other half of the sugar first.