Cooking Chutney | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook chutney with lid on or off? ›

3. Allow for a long cooking time. It is essential that chutneys are allowed a long and slow cooking period in a pan that is not covered with a lid.

Vinegar used in making chutney must be good quality and have at least 5% acetic acid content. Any good brand white, malt, wine or cider vinegar should possess the correct qualities. Brown sugar is used for darker coloured chutney but where a lighter colour is required granulated sugar is recommended.

Generally the vinegar in the chutney will mellow over time and we suggest that you allow 2 months for the sealed jars of chutney to "mature" in a cool, dry place. As it is only 2 weeks, the chutney will still be on the sharp side but this should soften by Christmas or early January.

As it thickens, stir more frequently and watch that the sugar does not begin to stick to the bottom of the pan. The chutney is done when you can scrape a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan and the chutney does not flow back into the gap.

Fill the hot dry jars right to the top – preserves shrink slightly on cooling and a full jar means less trapped condensation. Seal the jars while still hot. This rule applies to all jams, jellies, pickles and chutneys.

To get rid of this,add some corriander leaves along with pudina leaves and some tablespoon of lemon juice to get rid of the bitterness. Pudina chutney is best and tastiest when it gets grinded in the traditional way,by using th grinding stone.

Relish. Chutney and relish are two popular condiments, and the names are often interchanged. The confusion is understandable because chutneys can be savory, and relishes can be sweet. In general, chutneys have a chunky spreadable consistency much like a preserve and are usually made with fruit.

Ginger also works very well. Cooks tip 2: I used cider vinegar in this Apple chutney recipe, but it is fine to use malt vinegar or wine vinegar. They will all produce slightly different flavours and it just a matter of personal preference and what you happen to already have in your cupboard.

With dried spices you need to leave the chutney to an absolute minimum of 6 weeks but the longer you leave the better is will taste as the spices mature. A 6 months old chutney will taste very food. With the fresh spices it need only be 6 weeks old. Always cook your chutneys on a low heat, slowly, don't rush.

How long does homemade chutney last in a jar? ›

Sunlight can have an effect on the colour and humid places may cause fermentation. Chutneys and pickles have at least a year's shelf life, fruit liqueurs and fruits in alcohol up to two years. Once opened store in the fridge and use within four weeks.

Chutneys get better when left for a few weeks. They mature. So try not to eat them all at once. Be aware that it's often cheaper to buy jars with food in them (such as cheap jam) than empty jam or chutney jars.

You need to avoid infections so you should clean the jars in very hot water and then dry them out. You could use a warm oven for this if you're using glass. However, it only has to be warm, not at a cooking temperature.

If the chutney seems too runny, cook it for another 5-10 minutes and test again. You may also like to give the chutney the odd stir as you cook it, to prevent the mixture at the edges of the pan from catching.

If the chutney is too runny then in our opinion the best solution is to put it into a pan and bring it back to the boil, then simmer rapidly until it is the required thickness. If you can do this in a couple of deep frying pans (not aluminium) then it should help to speed up the process.

If you want to reduce a sauce or liquid keep pot uncovered so that the excess water can evaporate. If you want the moisture to be absorbed e.g. when cooking rice keep the lid on. Slow cooking a casserole or braised dish cover the pot so that the vapour circulates and keeps the meat moist.

Lid off = reduction/thickening mode.

Cooking with the lid off allows the steam (aka liquid) to evaporate out of the pot, thus reducing the amount of liquid in the pot. We cook with the lid off when we want something to thicken (for example: no-stir risotto after it comes out of the oven if it's still liquid-y).

Use a splatter guard (they look like a flattened sieve which goes over the pan) to reduce the amount of splatter from curries when you cook them. Avoid covering pans completely with a lid as steam needs to evaporate to help reduce the curry sauce down.

soup, sauce, gravy or stew, it's best to keep the lid off. The longer it cooks, the more water will evaporate. and result in a more concentrated and enhanced.