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Aug82017

Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer – When you can’t find ClearJel for canning

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It’s fresh fruit season which means lots of canning for pies and treats. Today’s tip I’m sharing with you what you can use when you can’t find ClearJel.

So if you’re like me you’ve found it near impossible finding the product ClearJel in the grocery store when you’ve decided you want to can fresh pie filling. Sure the stores carry SureJel but no ClearJel. You re-check your recipe and sure enough, it calls out specifically ClearJel. Do you reach for the SureJel in its place?

The answer is no. SureJel and ClearJel are two different things that produce different end results. SureJel is a pectin that, when cooked with sugar will thicken the mixture for say preserves or jelly. ClearJel is a starch that, when cooked, becomes a thickener. The beauty of ClearJel is that it’s, well, clear – meaning the ‘sauce’ of the pie filling is clear or rather the color of the fruits it contains. Got it?

So then what are you to do?  Reach for flour? Corn starch?  Oh god no. Oh sure they will work…but it will be SUPER cloudy and the fruit filling will look murky. Yeah no, don’t do it.


When you’re in the grocery store and you can’t find ClearJel, reach for Tapioca Starch. It’s a thickener like ClearJel that will thicken the mixture and be clearer than the other items. That and arrowroot work. But it’s not a 1:1 substitute. ClearJel is powerful therefore you don’t need a lot of it. Since Tapioca Starch is a modified starch it’s a bit thinner, therefore, you need twice as much. So it’s a 2:1 ratio where 2 is Tapioca Starch.

So it’s like this:

  • 1 cup of ClearJel = 2 cups minus 2 Tbl of Tapioca Starch  *Note that tapioca starch is NOT the same as tapioca flour
  • 1 cup of Clear Jel = 1 cup of Minute Tapioca. If you have a grinder, it’s best to grind it down into a powder otherwise you have to cook it down first.
  • 1 cup of ClearJel = 1 cup of Arrowroot

 

 

But I’ll be honest I prefer using ClearJel in my pie fillings that I can. I order mine off of Amazon. I really, really like this one from Hoosier Hill Farm.

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Belgian Liege Waffles

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Pairs Perfectly With:

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Recipe Reviews & Comments

  1. Whitney Meagan Gibson says

    September 19, 2020 at 10:28 am

    Tapioca Starch IS the same as Tapioca Flour

    Reply
  2. Christine says

    September 7, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    THANK YOU! Arrowroot is my new best friend!

    Reply
  3. Linda Sawatsky says

    July 31, 2020 at 6:12 pm

    Hoosier clearjel is currently unavailable at Amazon, and it is unknown if it will ever be available. Hoosier Farms will not send to Canada …where can I get it in British Columbia Canada.?
    Thanks for the information on alternate was to thicken canned pie fillings.

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      July 31, 2020 at 8:14 pm

      Oh Wow I hadn’t heard that Linda. That’s terrible.

      Since I’m in the US, I’m not 100% certain what’s available in Canada.

      I’ve only ever used Hoosier Farms as they are the best.

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
    • Pam Williams says

      September 6, 2020 at 4:43 pm

      I just purchased it from Amazon Canada. $17.99 https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B009C9BSGK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

      Reply
      • TKWAdmin says

        September 6, 2020 at 6:48 pm

        Thanks for the info!!!

        Best Kitchen Wishes!

        Reply
  4. Toini says

    May 19, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    Hi I am canning some cherry pie filling , can I use Knox gelatine instead of clear gel ?

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      May 19, 2020 at 3:17 pm

      Hi Toini,

      I’ve never used Gelatin like that for canning. I’ve only used clear jel.

      Gelatin I think would make it too stiff; almost like how jello firms up.

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  5. Mary Caron says

    October 14, 2019 at 7:17 pm

    What about the ratio of Arrowroot to ClearJel? Same as Tapioca Starch?

    Reply
    • TKWAdmin says

      October 20, 2019 at 2:33 am

      Hi Mary, no it’s a 1:1 swap. See the post above for details.

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
    • Myra says

      January 14, 2020 at 8:22 am

      Can you please answer the question? – “What about the ratio of Arrowroot to Clearjel?”

      Reply
      • TKWAdmin says

        January 14, 2020 at 10:36 am

        I already did back in October. See the post for the information.

        Best Kitchen Wishes!

        Reply
  6. Shirely says

    October 13, 2019 at 10:18 am

    If you have An Amish, Mennonite store near you, they carry Clear Jel. Both Instant and Cook type. Cook type is what you want for canning, apple pie filling. It is about half of Amazon’s price. I just got some at 2.79 per pound.

    Reply

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