jQuery(selector).val() returns the value of the element in question, and does not alter the value at all, as it should.

jQuery(selector).val("") does exactly the same thing, however - you might as well not include the quote marks.

I have been getting around this with:

jQuery(selector).get(0).value = ""

While that *works*, I would prefer to not have to jump out of the jQuery object (and thus the jQuery mindset) to get something so basic done.