Don't get in a pickle!

*Keep the preserving pan or saucepan uncovered while making preserves and chutneys. I recall one distressed reader phoning the paper I then worked for, saying she had been simmering her chutney for a whole day and still it hadn’t reduced. On phoning her back I discovered she had used a large saucepan, instead of a preserving pan, and because I hadn’t said otherwise in the recipe, she had kept the lid on! Don’t let the lack of a preserving pan stop you from making jams and pickles, but don’t ever put the lid on your saucepan.

• If you get into the habit of saving up all the jars that come into your possession, you’ll soon build up quite a collection. Most of these are of 1 lb (450 g) capacity, which works well for most things (except pickled onions), so I have kept to this size as a guideline in most recipes. But it’s really not important: other sizes of jar can be used; if each one is filled to capacity, then any leftovers can be stored in small jars or used up quickly.

• Remember that Cellophane or paper covers won’t work for pickles and chutneys, as the vinegar will evaporate during long storage if the jars aren’t completely airtight (which paper covers never are). This is why chutney shrinks and dries out when covered with paper. Also, it is important to remember to fill the jars as full as possible, not leaving any gaps.

• Instead of waxed discs, you can cut discs from the waxed paper found in breakfast cereal packets.

• If you want to use for something else a jar that once contained pickled onions, soak it overnight in cold water with a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda stirred in. This should remove any evidence of pickled onions by the next day!