# What's the difference between jelly, jam and preserves?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jelly-jam-and-preserves/385507>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 25, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jelly-jam-and-preserves/385507 "2006-12-25T04:11:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jelly-jam-and-preserves/385507/21 "2006-12-29T04:11:08Z")

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[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]  
Calling down divine wrath on a fellow Doper is not cool, man. NOT cool.  
[/QUOTE]

Well, you could have at least asked if CC could make a jam so sweet that even CC couldn’t eat or something more appropriate to the thread.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jelly-jam-and-preserves/385507/22 "2006-12-29T04:14:50Z")

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Good point. I shoulda thought of that. :smack:

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**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jelly-jam-and-preserves/385507/23 "2006-12-29T15:59:30Z")

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Twenty-two posts and no one bothered to include a link to Uncle Cecil’s column: [What’s the difference between jelly and jam?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a951124a.html). For shame. Looks like the Straight Dope Re-education Center will be full tonight…

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**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jelly-jam-and-preserves/385507/24 "2006-12-29T17:48:45Z")

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And to complete the list of sort-of-jellylike stuffs: a **compote** consists of whole fruits cooked in a sugar syrup, so that the whole fruit remains intact. Blueberry compote on waffles equals yumminess.

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**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jelly-jam-and-preserves/385507/25 "2006-12-29T18:50:06Z")

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[QUOTE=Mangosteen]  
What’s ‘Apple Butter’?  
[/QUOTE]  
This might sound weird, but when I was a kid I used to eat toast with Cheez Whiz and apple butter, and it was delicious. Try it! You have to put the Cheez Whiz on first because you won’t be able to spread it on top of the apple butter.

(Before the cheese snobs jump on me, I love real cheese of all kinds. But I also loves me some Cheez every now and then too. I know they’re not the same thing.)

Apple butter is not easy to find here, but it’s pretty easy to make in a slow cooker.

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