What is Clear Jel®?
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Fall is the perfect time for home canners to make and preserve fruit pie fillings. However, there is one ingredient that can be frustratingly difficult to find — Clear Jel®. So, what is Clear Jel®? Can it be substituted? And where on earth can you find it?
Clear Jel® is a chemically modified corn starch that produces excellent sauce consistency even after fillings are canned and baked. Other available starches break down when used in these pie fillings, causing a runny sauce consistency. Clear Jel® is available only through a few supply outlets and it is not widely available in grocery stores.
It is not recommended to can pie fillings using corn starch because corn starch is not as heat stable as Clear Jel®. Also recipes for canning using corn starch are not research-based. If you want to just make a pie and bake it there is no safety issue, but if you want to can the filling then you should always use research-based information.
Sources of Clear Jel®:
- Kitchen Krafts – www.kitchenkrafts.com
- Barry Farm Foods – www.barryfarm.com
- Rainy Day Foods. – www.rainydayfoods.com
- Glen’s Bulk Food Shoppe – www.pleasantviewkansas.com
- www.amazon.com
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