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consistency Thickening agents

My first home made sauces were jams that did not set up enough.  Sometimes, especially when using fruit, it takes a bit to get the pectin right.  Thing is, the jams that I used as sauces got me to liking a thicker sauce.  Problem with using pectin is that it it is fairly sensitive to temperature.  A sauce at room temperature might be a jam at fridge temperatures.

I am wondering if folk use a thickening agent that is not so sensitive to temperature.
 
I was checking my content and realized that I had something else to add to this thread:
 
I was happy with the heat and flavor of my original (probably the first two or three attempts) hot sauces, but the consistency wasn't right.  Once cooled and settled in the container, the pureed parts didn't stick together well enough, (watery part at the bottom and a slightly less than completely mixed feeling when eaten ) and even when boiled down a lot (my pasty/jelly like preference) I wasn't happy with the thickness.
 
I didn't add bananas as an attempt to rectify the problem—the new ingredient was just a random try at improving the recipe.  I don't find that bananas (unless overripe brown which I don't use) have a ton of flavor, but adding two to my recipe, added to the thickness, and more importantly, acted as a stabilizer.  Now when I make my hot sauces, (probably better characterized as hot jellies because I boil it down to a jelly like consistency) the ingredients are 100% mixed together. When put in a container and cooled, there is not different settlement at the bottom, and each mouthful feels like a professionally made product!
 
dragon49 said:
I was checking my content and realized that I had something else to add to this thread:
 
I was happy with the heat and flavor of my original (probably the first two or three attempts) hot sauces, but the consistency wasn't right.  Once cooled and settled in the container, the pureed parts didn't stick together well enough, (watery part at the bottom and a slightly less than completely mixed feeling when eaten ) and even when boiled down a lot (my pasty/jelly like preference) I wasn't happy with the thickness.
 
I didn't add bananas as an attempt to rectify the problem—the new ingredient was just a random try at improving the recipe.  I don't find that bananas (unless overripe brown which I don't use) have a ton of flavor, but adding two to my recipe, added to the thickness, and more importantly, acted as a stabilizer.  Now when I make my hot sauces, (probably better characterized as hot jellies because I boil it down to a jelly like consistency) the ingredients are 100% mixed together. When put in a container and cooled, there is not different settlement at the bottom, and each mouthful feels like a professionally made product!
Do bananas contain pectin? I think they have some fiber or possible carbohydrate structure that may contribute to giving the final product a good body and appearance.
 
:lol:  I figured I was missing something....happens all the time~ 
 
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