Don't Throw Out Leftover Cranberry Sauce, Use It To Replace This Condiment Instead - Tasting Table

"We all know the conundrum: The big meal is over, everyone is fully satiated, and you're now staring at a pile of leftovers. Each dish was a labor of love, so it's heartbreaking to toss it out - but is anyone actually going to eat it in the coming days? With cranberry sauce, that could be touch and go. However, there's a pretty creative way to give that tarty pile of tastiness a second life: Turn it into a ruby-red batch of thick, sweet, spreadable jam."

"The first thing to understand about cranberries is that they're naturally high in pectin, a plant compound that helps jams and jellies set. But a cranberry sauce holds more water and cooks for less time than jam, so when converting sauce to jam, you need to thicken it up. You can do this in several ways, the first option being to briefly reheat the sauce and reduce it on the stove to remove excess liquid, concentrate the flavor, and add structure to the wanna-be jam."

"When thickening leftover cranberry sauce to make jam, it's important to make sure it hasn't absorbed other meal-mates, especially bits of savory foods or ones that may cause the new jam to go bad. You'll now be introducing newbies to the mix, things that naturally thicken with no contradicting flavors. As noted in our guide to using leftover cranberry sauce, we suggest making a super seedy jam using chia seeds. These perky little seeds will absorb excess liquid from the sauce while adding a delightful crun"

Leftover cranberry sauce can be converted into a spreadable jam by concentrating the fruit and adjusting texture. Cranberries are naturally high in pectin, which supports setting, but typical sauce contains more water and cooks less than jam. One method is to reheat and reduce the sauce on the stove to remove excess liquid, concentrate flavor, and add structure. A quicker method is to add thickeners such as chia seeds, which absorb liquid and add texture. Ensure the sauce is free of savory contaminants before thickening and adjust sweetness and cook time to reach the desired consistency. Either approach yields a ruby-red, thick, sweet spread usable on toast, pastries, or as a condiment.

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