Orange Marmalade

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Orange Aid

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (18)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(18)

Cook Time:
1 hr 0 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
10 (8-ounce) jars

Times:

Prep: 45 min
Inactive Prep: 24 hr 0 min
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Total:: 25 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds oranges, 4 to 5 medium
1 lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
6 cups water
3 pounds plus 12 ounces sugar
Special Equipment: 10 (8-ounce) canning jars with rings and lids, funnel, tongs, ladle, and 12-quart pot

Directions

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.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Orange Marmalade
ana tacoma, WA 03-15-2010
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the receipe sounds very good..
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

well my biggest questions an hoping someone will help me on this one?!?!?!?! on the fourth paragraph its saying to remove... jars from water and drain on a clean towels!?!?!?!?!? -----> so my question is if the jars need to be completly dry, or just drain dry? i dont know if i explain my self or not??!?!?!? please help? thanks Read more
recipe Orange Marmalade
Nicole Fallbrook, CA 03-07-2010
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Yummy but taste oranges first!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I just made this and it is sooooo good but I used really sweet oranges so the jam came out really sweet. Next time I will... taste them first to make sure I need all the sugar. Everyone is loving how sweet it is except me...tastes divine though...now I need to go make scones or good eats english muffins for it!Read more
recipe Orange Marmalade
Robin Plover, WI 02-22-2010
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Why the short shelf life?
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Where'd they come up with a 6 month shelf life? Jams and jellies are good for at least a year (and beyond, but we won't go... there). And to everyone else: DON'T DOUBLE JAM RECIPES! Sorry for shouting, but its very important (and marmalade is jam). You can make up more, just cook it up in separate batches. When you double a recipe with pectin you change the formula and usually it doesn't set right. I know you're thinking "well I was pretty good at algebra, I'll just muliply everything x3 and we'll be fine". Just don't. You'll be sorry. Because it's not algebra. Jam doesn't know algebra. It knows f-ing calculus and will kick your butt. Learn from my mistakes, and have fun canning!Read more
recipe Orange Marmalade
Peter Pittsfield, MA 01-22-2010
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Worked great, the type of oranges might make the difference
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I wasn't really planning on making this recipe, until I discovered that my local gourmet grocer had Seville oranges in stock,... so I thought, why not ($1 each!). The grocer said that Sevilles are the best for marmalade because of their high pectin, and maybe that is the problem that others are having with getting it to gel, they might be using an orange with lower pectin. I doubled the recipe, no problems with that like someone else was having. Sevilles have A LOT of seeds so that made it difficult and they gummed up the mandolin a lot as well. I also had a hard time getting it to the proper temperature, I could get 216 and then it seemed to plateau, but after like 45 minutes of cooking, it finally went to 219 and I stopped. I wonder if this was because I'm at a higher altitude and it hit its boiling point, or maybe there was too much water in it and that lowered it boiling point, but in the end it turned out really well, it is just the right consistence and it ended up producing more than expected. I had a total of 24 cups. The flavor is great and looks good too. Thanks.Read more
recipe Orange Marmalade
Michael Venice, FL 01-09-2010
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Took almost 3 hours to cook down!
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

Followed recipe exactly, but took almost three hours of cooking to get the cold plate test to work. Even then, it never... really set up firmly. And the long cooking killed most of the citrus flavor. Very disappointing.Read more
recipe Orange Marmalade
Magaly San Jose, CA 01-09-2010
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"I do not have a stainless steel pot"
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

In the recipe it said to use a stainless steel pot and I don't have one. Can I make this recipe with a regular pot? Thank... you.Read more