Clear Jel vs. Ultra Jel by Jana Darrington

I had a questions regarding Ultra Jel vs. Clear Jel, and couldn't remember from class what was said!  I called Jana and this is what she emailed me.

Here are some sources to buy Clear Jel online:

http://www.barryfarm.com/thickeners.htm
http://www.dehydratedfoodstorage.com/product/J141
http://waltonfeed.com/blog/show/article_id/416

On the Barry Farms site, when you scroll down the list of Thickeners they provide, you will see two listings for Clear Jel. One is Regular and the other is Instant (labeled as such). For something like pie fillings, you want to use the Regular Clear Jel. If you are doing fresh pies or want to thicken other items like gravies or such, the Instant version or something like the Ultra Gel (a form of instant) you are seeing in stores works great. However, Instant clear jels are not recommended for canning processes because they tend to break down (not gel sufficiently) during the long processing times.

Some of the other sites, they refer to the Regular Clear Jel also as (HOT) to differentiate it from a product like Ultra Gel, which doesn’t require heat in order to gel. If you can add the product to your fruit and it will gel immediate without adding heat, it is NOT Regular Clear Jel.

I hope that answers your questions! The Walton Feed place has a 25lb bucket (amounts to about $1.83 per pound, not including shipping) – if you can get some people to go in on the cost with you – split it up into 5 or 10 different portions. That will provide enough clear jel for your canning needs for several seasons.

Information from Jana Darrington

Utah State University Extension Assistant Professor

Family and Consumer Science Agent

Utah County Office