It is much easier to make jam and marmalade if you use the right equipment, although perfectly good results can be achieved with ordinary thick based pans provided you remember to allow a little extra time for simmering the fruit.
Most saucepans are not as wide as a preserving pan and so present a smaller surface area.
Heavy stainless steel or tin lined copper preserving pans are the best and they should have a thick base in order to prevent the jam from sticking and burning.
The sides should be deep enough to allow the fruit to bubble without splashing all over the cooker and a wide top is necessary for good evaporation.
The overall size will depend on how much jam you want to make in one go.
Lovely old unlined copper and brass preserving pans can be used provided they are really clean and tarnish free.
However the finished preserve will contain less vitamin C and you must not allow the mixture to stay in the pans any longer than absolutely necessary.
Vinegar will react with these metals so don't use them for pickles or chutney.
A slotted spoon for removing stray stones and a wide funnel for filling the jars are both useful but not strictly essential and if you need to use a sieve it should be made from nylon and not metal.
Start collecting jam jars well in advance of your project and ask your friends to save theirs for you too.
Just make sure they are in perfect condition and scrupulously clean.
A sterilizer is handy here.
Apart from apples, gooseberries, damsons, red or black currants, oranges, lemons and limes, most other fruit will need extra pectin in order for it to set firmly.
Fruit that is lacking in natural pectin must have it added and this can be in the form of lemon juice or apple or gooseberry extract.
You can make this extract at home by boiling about two pounds of cut up fruit in one to one and a half pints of water for about an hour and then squeezing the pulp through a jelly bag.
Alternatively you can buy pectin in a bottle and then follow the manufacturer's instructions.
The right amount of sugar is also vital.
Granulated sugar is the sort most commonly used in jam making and it is easily obtainable.
If you can get lump sugar and preserving crystals there will be less scum to skim from the surface but otherwise the results will be the same.
Unfortunately there is really no substitute for sugar.
Glycerine and glucose are not as sweet and honey or treacle will change the taste noticeably, but they can make up half of the sugar content if you wish.
The best way to be sure that the jam is ready is to use a sugar thermometer but if you haven't got one put a drop onto a cold plate and push it around a bit.
It should wrinkle and feel a little rubbery.
Take the pan off the heat while you do this.
When it is ready remember to pour the jam into warm jars so they don't crack with the sudden heat, then put a waxed disc over the jam and put the lids on quickly so that you get a good seal.
Now you have this information you are ready to find a good recipe and start making jam!