Jam-Making Today: Fruit Spreads, Yes; Sugar, Largely No

JAM-making has never gone out of style. Shimmering, colorful jars of preserves are sold in homey New England country stores and line the ultrachic shelves of Fauchon in Paris. Urban home cooks with efficient cooktops as well as those with spacious farmhouse kitchens still make them to serve, or as gifts.

But the preserving kettle is no longer an economic or seasonal requirement. While jams and preserves represent a delicious link to the past, jam-making has changed.

Home cooks have discovered the convenience of putting up small batches and storing them in the refrigerator. Consumers are more interested in preserves thick with fruit than stiff, old-fashioned clear jellies.

But starting in the mid-80's, the development that has had the biggest effect was the modification of the classic formula of fruit and sugar and using fruit-juice concentrates instead of cane sugar as the sweetener.

Fruit spreads, as products sweetened with fruit juice concentrates are called, are now the fastest-growing part of the preserves market. Nonexistent 10 years ago, the spreads now represent 12 percent of the retail market, with sales of $77.5 million for the year ending Aug. 11. And with the introduction of Welch's all-fruit grape spread about a year ago, the spreads' sales are expected to continue increasing.

A tasting of 15 raspberry spreads showed wide variation in color, texture, flavor and sweetness. The preferred brands retained bright, inviting color and an intense, fresh berry taste that was not too sweet and did not taste overcooked. The best texture was uniform, not stiff or runny.