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There are two types of "Cranberry Sauce", even though we often refer to both as just Cranberry Sauce: one is -- well, sauce, and the second is a jelly, which is just a firmer version of the same sauce.

Very good Cranberry Sauces can be purchased in tins. Cranberry Sauce is also very, very easy to make. Make jelled ones the day before, so they have time to set and chill in the fridge. If you have kids old enough to respect hot things on a stove, they can even help you; it is a good kid's activity, especially the part where you have to squish the berries that haven't popped yet. If you make your own, have a look around in books or on the Internet for recipes: there are a zillion different recipes. Some nice ones are made some Cointreau or Grand Marnier in them, or with a healthy splodge of port.

You'll encounter one or two sauce recipes that want you to chop the cranberries first, but this is pointless, as they are all going to be boiled down into a squidgy sauce anyway. Some recipe writers seem to feel their job is to think up leisure activities to fill our days.

When you are making the sauce, there are a few general principles to bear in mind.

The first is that you are basically making a jam, and as for jam, you have to boil the fruit to release the pectin in the fruit, which is what the jam needs to "gel" (along with sugar.) For cranberries, this is about 10 minutes at a good healthy boil. If you want to "upgrade" your sauce from sauce into a firmer jelly, you need to cook it for 5 minutes longer.

Secondly, the amount of sugar your recipe calls for is there for a reason. The pectin interacts with it to make the gel. If you cut back on the sugar, you will get a runnier sauce. Don't despair, though, if you want to make a lower-calorie sauce. There are zillions of recipes for that, too, which have the other ingredients adjusted to make up for the lower sugar.

If your sauce won't gel, you can try adding 1 pkg (2 1/2 teaspoons) of unflavoured gelatin to the sauce, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Cooking Tips
If you are using frozen cranberries, don't bother thawing them before using.

Equivalents
3 cups of cranberries = 12 oz / 350 g of cranberries = about 2 pints / 1 litre of sauce

Storage
Opened or freshly made, store Cranberry Sauce in a sealed container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can preserve it by canning; or you can freeze it for up to a year. When you thaw it, it will be a bit runny, so either drain off some of the liquid, or use in baking.

Also called:

See Also:

Cranberries, Turkeys

Other entries for: Sweet Sauces

Cranberry Sauce, Cumberland Sauce, Hard Sauce, Melba Sauce

Other entries for:

Sauces
Aillade, Albert Sauce, Allemande Sauce, Amazu Sauce, Awasezu, A.1. Steak Sauce, Banquière Sauce, Barbeque Sauce, Beurre Blanc, Béarnaise Sauce, Black Mint Sauce, Brown Butter, Brown Sauce (English), Butter Sauce, Chile con Queso, Chippie Sauce, Chiri-zu Sauce, Coronation Sauce, Creamed Horseradish, Drawn Butter Sauce, Espagnole Sauce, Finadene Sauce, Fish Sauces, Gravy, Halford Sauce, Harissa, Hoisin Sauce, Hollandaise Sauce, Horseradish Sauce, Ketchup, Ketjap Manis, Marie Rose Sauce, Matelote Sauce, Melted Butter, Meunière Butter, Mint Sauce, Mojo Sauces, Mojo (Cuban), Mole, Murri, Nikiri Sauce, Nitsume Sauce, Noisette Butter, Normande Sauce, Paloise Sauce, Panade à la frangipane, Parisienne Sauce, Pasta Sauce, Pique Criollo, Pizza Sauce, Poivrade Sauce, Ponzu Sauce, Provençal Sauce, Reform Sauce, Rémoulade Sauce, Rice Wine, Salad Dressings, Salmuera, Salsas, Sambals, Sambi-Zu Sauce, Sanbai Zu Sauce, Sauce Béarnaise, Sauce Diane, Sauce Maltaise, Soubise Sauce, Soy Sauce, Sriracha, Sushi-zu, Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, Tabasco, Tamari, Tapenade, Tartar Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, Tonkatsu Sauce, Vatapá, Velouté Sauce, Walnut Sauce, White Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, XO Sauce, Yakiniku Sauce, Yakitori Sauce

Other entries for: Condiments

Liebig's Extract of Meat, Pastes, Relish, Salt, Spreads, Tracklements, Vinegar

Related Recipes

Chestnut Patties with Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Mince Pie, Sweet Potatoes with Brie & Cranberry