INSTANT ClearJel® (Plus) Info

Update: I've just checked with the manufacture, Ingredion and learned that Instant ClearJel, Ultra Gel (aka Ultra Sperse) and Regular ClearJel are all non-GMO. 
                    

My Recipes Using Instant ClearJel®:

"Amazing" Apple Pie Filling
Apricot & Pineapple Jam (Freezer Jam)
"Beautiful Old Glory" Patriotic Pie
BB BUTTERMILK: "Better Baking" Buttermilk
Buttermilk Wheat Bread (Bosch: 2 recipe sizes)
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Cream Of Whatever aka: COW SOUP MIX
Italian Seasoning Mix (Homemade)
Ranch Seasoning Mix (Homemade)
Razzleberry Pie, Made w/ Instant ClearJel©
Strawberry Jam made w/ Instant ClearJel®

About Instant ClearJel®

INSTANT CLEARJEL is a modified corn starch, manufactured (pre-cooked) and used to thicken recipes. It is a wonderful thickener modified food starch, particularly best known for thickening commercially thickened pies, frozen during the peak season, and then baked months later, (which I've done for decades).


    

Instant ClearJel (1.5 lbs)

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ICJ offers smooth results (w/o clumps) if combined first with dry ingredients (before adding with liquid or wet ingredients) such as sliced or crushed fruit for thickening pies or jam.

• It swells or thickens just as soon as it's added to the wet ingredients and imparts a smooth, short texture, once it's fully hydrated. 
• It will reach its full thickness within 5–10 minutes. 
• It does not require cooking, but Instant ClearJel works well within cooking and baking too; viscosity increases slightly upon heating.
• It has excellent heat and acid resistance, and so it can be used in high acid containing foods, and those applications where heating is required. 
• It has very good cold temperature storage stability, making it particularly well suited for refrigerated and frozen foods. 
• It will not break down and weep, like cornstarch and flour-based foods do.

Why Called "Instant" ClearJel®?

ICJ provides great to excellent, economical, clear and thick results within many types of recipes when prepared either cold or heated. Much like flour, and as I explained earlier, it does not mix with liquids instantly! 

It's called "Instant" because it swells and gels instantly once it comes in contact with any wet ingredients. Therefore, when added improperly, it gels and clumps. So, be SURE whisk it with another dry ingredient from the recipe FIRST.

A) Combine 1-Tbsp Instant ClearJel to thicken with dry ingredients
(i.e.: sugar, flour, powdered milk, or spices) per 1-cup liquid.

B) With no dry ingredients added, thicken liquids, sauces, fruit juices and purees (w/ or w/o cooking) by sprinkle in the clearjel thickener using a blender, immersion blender or food processor.
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Using Instant ClearJel®
(Depends on the recipe... particularly different kinds of pies, but here are some basic guidelines)

Typical Substitutions:
3 Tbsp Instant ClearJel = 3 Tbsp cornstarch
or = 1/4 cup tapioca flour
or = 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 

ICJ has several advantages over other common thickeners:

• Cornstarch shouldn't be frozen.
• While sauces thickened with other thickeners turn into a spongy mess once frozen and thawed, frozen Instant ClearJel pies and sauces - bake (and/or thaw) without weeping. 
• All-purpose flour and potato starch impart added flavors, ICJ adds no additional flavor. Plus, you should add potato starch at the end of cooking; it shouldn't be boiled. 
• Since ICJ has a more neutral flavor, so it's a good thickener for delicately flavored liquids. It truly adds little to NO starchy flavor. Instead, you only taste just the main ingredient of your recipe. 
• ICJ thickens without cooking and tolerates acidic ingredients. 
• ICJ is usually less expensive than arrowroot.

Freezer Jam: Combine 3-Tbsp Instant ClearJel with 2-cups sugar, before adding to 5 cups crushed fruit and add 1 Tbsp corn syrup and then 1 Tbsp lemon juice. (For a great jam, that's lower in sugar; less sugar, reduces calories!)

Bread(s): Add 2 tsp Instant ClearJel (per 3 cups flour) for bread. Adding ICJ retains the natural moisture in baked goods, extending the shelf-life of the end product. Here's a GREAT hint, when adding Instant ClearJel, you can actually REDUCE up to half the fat in most bread recipes, and still have a very tender loaf. (Reducing the fat content also reduces calories!)

Soft, Chewy Cookies: Substitute (all or part) of the shortening with real butter. Use 1 tsp ICJ (per 1-cup flour) for cookies that can rival bakery-shop cookies. Homemade cookies many with butter usually spread out flat, but when ICJ is added to flour, dropped cookies maintain a nice shape and cut-out cookies roll out beautifully (pre-chilling is NOT necessary)!

More Info: ICJ offers an excellent, long-term, chilled stability and texture. Good long-term stability when boiled, but I don't use it for gravies and tomato sauces. Plus you can't PROCESS cooked JAM with it. For that, you would need to use either  EZ Gel (formerly Ultra Gel) or the regular "COOK-TYPE" ClearJel for canning. 

                                        
Instant ClearJel   EZ Gel 1 lb w/ COOKBOOK!     Reg ClearJel "COOK-TYPE"


Affiliate links are your convenience -  you don't pay more and I get small referral amounts. It helps us both & the site. 
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Commercial Product: Instant ClearJel manufactured by Ingredion in 25-lb bags to distributors ONLY and the manufacturer does not sell it to the public. Since it's a commercial ingredient, grocery stores most don't stock it either. Believe me, their bakeries are using it in their pies and baked goods, though; that's why they don't want you knowing about it.

Buying Instant ClearJel®

Getting ICJ online isn't hard these days. You might find it locally in "specialty" kitchen shops and restaurant food supply stores, but it won't be stocked in grocery stores. Check the yellow pages for such stores.

You could try calling your local state university extension service, and see if they are familiar with it, i.e.: Oregon State University Extension Services, Washington State University Skagit County Extension Services and Utah State University Extension Services.

Instant ClearJel® Nutrition

Any "refined food" definitely lacks adequate nutritional value, think of Instant ClearJel as having the same nutritional value as basic cornstarch. However, adding Instant ClearJel is healthier through the REDUCTION of [extra sugar and/or fat] - otherwise required for thickening - and/or absorption - within your recipes - through traditional thickening methods. So do consider those nutritional benefits, by using Instant ClearJel [instead] as your thickening agent!
 

Storage: The manufacturer recommends storing Instant ClearJel for up to 2 years, yet when kept dry, it will store virtually indefinitely.


  
EZ Gel 1 lb w/ Ultra Gel COOKBOOK!

I quite like and recommend the hot/cold instant thickener, EZ Gel (formerly known as Ultra Gel)! It is very convenient because it disperses more easily within many recipes than Instant ClearJel. However, Instant Clear Jel is twice as potent... (and my years of experience) you need TWICE of as much EZ Gel to thicken a recipe as you do "ICJ" Instant ClearJel.  Still, with EZGel, you can simply whisk or sprinkle it in with a fork it in (without first mixing with any dry ingredients). 

BIG HOWEVER... don't just go and dump... Ultra Gel in either!

Often, for best results ~ sprinkle and stir ~ until it thickens ~ wait 5 minutes, then it will reach its full potency. You can then decide if it needs any more or not. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. 

EZ Gel also thickens with or without cooking. Since it's less potent, yet more expensive (I keep on hand about 3:1) that's 3-5 lbs of Instant ClearJel®, which I disperse with dry ingredients like sugar, compared to the convenience of the 1-2 lb EZ Gel, which I don't need to. 

*CAUTION: Never use ICJ for canning - it swells on contact and then gets too thick -for the heat to penetrate- to the center of the jar. This can eventually lead to spoiling, worse botulism. This is why Instant ClearJel IS NOT safe for canning, and not the other theories circulating around online, such as it breaks down DURING boiling; rather it's quite the opposite! Whereas, EZ Gel or ClearJel Cook-type ARE SAFE for canning and processing foods.

                                                          

EZ Gel 1 lb w/ COOKBOOK!     Reg ClearJel Cook-Type

For first time buyers of Ultra Gel, be sure to Ultra Gel Starter Kit, it includes their cookbook, which is an excellent reference guide for using modified food starch thickeners in recipes. You actually CAN substitute Instant ClearJel for Ultra Gel and vice versa. Although the authors caution you NOT to, but I always have (hahaha) and successfully*, but it CAN be tricky! 

As A Rule Of Thumb:
Simply remember to use 50% less ICJ, because Instant Clear Jel is TWICE as potent. Plus ALWAYS remember to mix ICJ with any DRY INGREDIENTS FIRST for easier disbursement, so it does NOT clump. Then add the mixture to the wet ingredients.

Whereas, if you forget and simply stir ICJ in (like you can Ultra  
Gel) sorry... ICJ will clump just awful!

                                                              
EZ Gel 1 lb w/ Ultra Gel COOKBOOK!   Instant ClearJel  Reg ClearJel Cook-Type

Storage: The manufacturer recommends storing Ultra Gel for up to 2 years, yet when kept dry, it will store virtually indefinitely.

Note: Again Instant ClearJel is NOT recommended for canning, whereas ClearJel Cook-Type is considered safe for canning.

     
Reg ClearJel Cook-Type (1.5 Lbs)

This ClearJel Cooked-Type powder is best known and was specifically developed for thickening "canned" jams and COOKED processed fruit pie fillings. 


Apricot & Pineapple Jam (Processed, canned)

It's also a great "year-round-thickener" for making jams and pie fillings (from previously frozen fruit).

Albeit... jams & pie filling products should not be frozen thereafter - whereas ICJ jams and pie fillings are great for freezing.

Storage: The manufacturer recommends storing ClearJel Cooked-Type lasts up to 2 years, yet when kept dry, it will store virtually indefinitely.

There You GO: Now go have some fun!