Jayneyo, I agree with Seahorse. I always did my jam making using the cold saucer and it does work. Not too big a dollop of jam though (a teaspoon is usually enough) as it will take a while to cool enough to "skin". In fact I do now have a jam thermometer but I am so oldfashioned that I am secretly nervous that it will explode in my jam!!! You can also do a flake test. Same principle. Put a very cold spoon in the jam, let it cool and then tilt the spoon. It should slide off slowly in a flake shape rather than a dollop or drop. Prefer the saucer myself. Incidentally, (in my opinion) strawberry jam is not a good one for testing by either of these methods as it is not a good setter on its own. If you are brave enough to use the thermometer and not a wimp like me it's probably a more reliable method. Lakeland or and good quality hardware store will sell them.