643146 Sun Aug 09 00:00:15 -0700 2009 29 31 Home Cooking 0 4930022 Is that possible? Someone told me that a canner is nothing but a large pot. Will I be able to atleast waterbath can if I use a large 10 litre presuer cooker or even a pot, tightly covered? Sun Aug 09 00:00:15 -0700 2009 1092368 unknownwarrior 1 4930100 I have a friend who puts the jars through the dishwasher and then fills the jars with jams, etc. She covers them, and sits at the kitchen table until she hears the jar lids "pop". They supposedly seal themselves. I haven't seen her do this, so I am not going to attempt it. But, I do love the idea of it. Did you try to google the question? Sun Aug 09 04:10:05 -0700 2009 4930022 15691 mcel215 2 4930144 Sorry, I shud have done that before posting here. I got something here: http://www.recipelink.com/mf/20/6515 But I don't think I understand it completely: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you have a pot that is deep enough to cover over the tops of the jars with water by 1-2 inches and have room for boiling, you can use it. You need a rack or a folded towel in the bottom. If you don't have a lid for it, use a baking sheet or pizza pan. Slip the tomato skins by dipping in boiling water then plunging in cold water. Core. Fill Jars with raw tomatoes, pressing until spaces fill with juice. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Add 1 Tb lemon juice per pint and 2 Tb lemon juice per quart. May add salt (1 tsp/qt) for flavor if desired. Lemon juice must be added to insure safety against botulism. The processing time at sea level is 85 min. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner for 85 minutes at sea level, 90 minutes at 1001-3000 ft, 95 minutes at 3001-6000 ft, and 100 minutes at 6001-8000 ft. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If I keep a folded towel inside and boil for 85 minutes (I'm at sea level), won't that towel become useless? Sun Aug 09 05:16:11 -0700 2009 4930100 1092368 unknownwarrior 3 4930488 Been there, done that. The towel is a disaster- it moves around and the jars easily end up tipped at an angle. So were the 47 other cheats that I tried because I didn't want to go buy a water bath canner. Track down any pot big enough to hold a cheap jar rack and that'll let you cover the jars with at least a couple inches of water (because you can get distracted and boil away some of that 1"!). Sun Aug 09 08:39:43 -0700 2009 4930144 64882 Vetter 3 4930504 Not sure what you mean by the towel becoming useless. All the towel does is add a bit of traction for the bottom of the jars to grab on to so they don't move around in the pot. Must disagree with Vetter that using one is "a disaster" since I've been doing it for more than 30 years and never felt a need to buy a canning pot or a rack to fit my stock pot. Also, it really isn't absolutely necessary to cover the pot while the water is boiling, but if you do it reduces the amount of water that evaporates during processing. Even if the pot is covered, though, I agree with Vetter that covering the jars by two or three inches--if you possibly can--is a good idea. Sun Aug 09 08:51:36 -0700 2009 4930144 11407 JoanN 4 4930526 I'm just curious - is 85 minutes a very long time in the water bath? I've not done tomatoes, but the jam recipes were for 5 - 10 minutes. Thanks. Sun Aug 09 09:01:06 -0700 2009 4930504 10985 MMRuth 5 4930574 That does seems like a long time. I just took a look at "Putting Food By" and they talk about 30 minutes for pints or half-pints. Perhaps the 85 minutes is for quart jars that have more or less returned to room temp? Just guessing here. Sun Aug 09 09:26:32 -0700 2009 4930526 11407 JoanN 5 4930626 Interesting. The Ball site that greygarious just linked to below says (for tomatoes without added liquid) to boil either pints or quarts 85 minutes. I'd take Ball's current advice over the authors of "Putting Food By." Excellent book, but even the revised edition that I have is now 25 years old and guidelines change. Sun Aug 09 09:47:21 -0700 2009 4930526 11407 JoanN 6 4931004 I'm looking at the current Ball Book right now. For tomatoes in a HWB canner... 40 minutes for pints, 45 minutes for quarts. Tomatoes take a lot longer than jams and jellies. Sun Aug 09 12:42:15 -0700 2009 4930626 28006 Jennalynn 7 4931025 Here's a link to the Ball Web page saying tomatoes should be processed for 85 minutes. Is there an obvious difference you can discern between the recipe in the book and the recipe on the Web page? And just curious, but what is the copyright date on the copy of the book you have? That's really quite a discrepancy between instructions from the same source, isn't it? http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/recipe/215.php?recipe=148 Sun Aug 09 12:54:16 -0700 2009 4931004 11407 JoanN 8 4931135 Hmmm... Yes, there is a difference. The recipe that's on their web page called "Raw Packed Tomatoes" as you point out has an 85 minute process time. The recipe in their book which was printed in 2009... calls that "Tomatoes Packed in Own Juice" and yes, it's 85 minutes. The recipe I quoted, which is the one that they illustrate on two full color pages with step by step HWB canning instructions is called "Tomatoes Packed in Water" and it has a process time of 40 min for pints and 45 for quarts. It offers both a raw pack and a hot pack, but both are the same times. So there you have it. Perhaps the added water raises the temperature inside the jar quicker? Sun Aug 09 13:57:23 -0700 2009 4931025 28006 Jennalynn 9 4931166 Would you m ind posting the recipe for the tomato canning in water? It would save fuel by about half if water is added? How much? Sun Aug 09 14:11:19 -0700 2009 4931135 1092368 unknownwarrior 4 4930912 I was wondering that 85 minutes in the boiling hot water would just do something real bad to the towel cloth. Okay, should the towel be a thiick one or I should fold to hold the jars intact? By "covering the jars by two or three inches" I hope you mean to cover by water above the jars by 2 - 3 inches? If not, pls explain. Sun Aug 09 11:59:48 -0700 2009 4930504 1092368 unknownwarrior 5 4930932 I use one of those old-fashioned linen tea towels that could stand up to just about anything and I fold it so it covers as much of the bottom of the pot as possible. It really doesn't need to be thick at all; you just don't want the jars bouncing around on the bottom of the pot. And yes indeed I meant to pour water to come up to a level that is two or three inches above the tops of the jars. Sun Aug 09 12:07:49 -0700 2009 4930912 11407 JoanN 1 4930113 I have a very old, very cheap, aluminum stock pot which is now my dedicated cannining pot. Your friend is right. The lid doesn't even need to be all that tight; mine is kind of dented and rattles around as the water is boiling. What's great about my old pot is that it's almost as wide as it is tall (so many stock pots are much taller than wide) so it holds at least half a dozen jars at a time. I don't even have a rack for it; I just fold up a tea towel and put in in the bottom of the pot so the jars don't rattle around too much. The two pieces of dedicated equipment I would recommend are a jar lifter and a canning funnel. Not absolutely necessary, but they do make the job much easier. The technique mce1215 refers to above may be fine for refrigerator jams, but it's not canning and it would be dangerous to take a recipe that requires a hot water bath and to choose this method of sealing the jars instead. In general, it's really important to follow a canning recipe as written. You can't (or shouldn't) take the ingredients from one recipe and the technique from another recipe and expect a safe result. In fact, canning safety issues have been revised over the years and many older canning books as well as some of our mothers' and grandmothers' recipes call for methods that are no longer considered acceptable, e.g., topping a jam jar with melted wax. Sun Aug 09 04:37:51 -0700 2009 4930022 11407 JoanN 2 4930138 It's also difficult to get a canner around here so I'll need to go to the town side and a pressure canner might be pricey to. So, could I try your aluminium stock pot method? What precautions do I need? I'll only need it for water bath canning for tomatoes and fruits. Sun Aug 09 05:11:34 -0700 2009 4930113 1092368 unknownwarrior 3 4930150 JoanN's advice is good (as usual). You might wish to do a little research on the recipes you want to can and make sure waterbath canning is acceptable for that recipe. Tomatoes and most fruits and jams in the waterbath, no problem, due to the acidity. However, some less acidic items need to be canned in a pressure canner. Here are some good links to get you started: http://www.extension.umn.edu/foodsafety/components/foodpreservation.htm http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/uga_processing_j_j.pdf Also, I started keeping a plastic ruler in my kitchen (to measure head space) and I now use it for measuring all kinds of things. It's been super-handy. Good luck! ~TDQ Sun Aug 09 05:19:59 -0700 2009 4930138 12005 The Dairy Queen 3 4930152 No precautions, really. Just follow the instructions for your recipe and resist the temptation to improvise or take shortcuts. Sun Aug 09 05:23:30 -0700 2009 4930138 11407 JoanN 3 4930222 I just started canning last week, and also used an old aluminium stock pot. The first time I used my vegetable steamer as an insert, but it was a bit wobbly, so the second time I used a folded dish towel. I didn't have any other special equipment, but now have a funnel and canning tongs. The former made this a much less messy project. I haven't tried the tongs yet, but things were a bit dicey with my regular tongs. The last batch I made was strawberry jam, and, as the recipe said that one could just put the jam in the hot jars and seal them w/ out the water bath, I did that with two of them, and they did ping. That said, we're going through that jam so quickly that I don't think it's going to matter even anything sealed properly! To sterilize the jars and lids, I put them in the oven at about 200 degrees for 20 minutes or so, then turned the oven off, and took them out jar by jar as I filled them. I also bought some jars that I just love the look of: http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=PG1608F&bhcd2=1249823567 (oddly enough, I note that they were cheaper at Gracious Home in Manhattan (about $1.70 a jar), which is surprising.) Sun Aug 09 06:15:25 -0700 2009 4930138 10985 MMRuth 4 4930589 http://www.freshpreserving.com/ This site has an nonline store for Ball and Kerr. Although buying equipment locally might be more economical, this at least shows you what sizes and shapes of jar are available. The stainless steel canner is way more expensive than the cheaper enameled ones from the hardware store, which work just fine, as would any big, deep pot. There's also a link on that site for finding canning classes in your area, depending on what state you're in. Sun Aug 09 09:31:50 -0700 2009 4930222 159317 greygarious 4 4985555 MMRuth - Where did you get your canning tongs? I've tried Zabar's and Bowery Kitchen. I was hoping to pick up a cheap one locally and not have to online order it. I've been managing so far with my regular tongs wrapped with rubber bands but it isn't so easy! Thanks for your help. And by the way, if you are looking for more jars, try this site where I think they may have the ones you like cheaper - http://theconsumerlink.com/FreshPreserving/detail/TCL+1440061180/10 . Fri Aug 28 08:29:20 -0700 2009 4930222 104084 LNG212 5 4985571 I bought them at Sur La Table in Soho - $4.99 I think. You might also try your local hardware store - mine said they could order them for me. That does seem to be a good deal - I got the 8 oz ones, and they are actually $1.29 at Gracious Home. I do need to order some more lids though. Fri Aug 28 08:34:46 -0700 2009 4985555 10985 MMRuth 6 4985592 Thanks for the info! This is my first year canning. And I'm having such fun. The blueberry jam I made came out great (there was a little leftover that didn't fit in the jars, so DH and I are eating that). Too bad I started too late to do strawberries like you did. Ah, next year! Fri Aug 28 08:39:46 -0700 2009 4985571 104084 LNG212 6 4986310 Try eBay. I bought a brand new set of jar tongs, magnetic lid lifter, wide mouth funnel, lid wrench, and jar lifter for about $15 including shipping. Target also has those "platinum" Ball jars if you're still looking. Fri Aug 28 11:44:13 -0700 2009 4985571 28006 Jennalynn 7 4986395 Thanks but the whole point was that I didn't want to have to wait for shipping at this point. And I don't need all the other stuff; I've already got it. The Ball "kits" of utensils are pretty cheap and available online from the link I posted above as well. Fri Aug 28 12:06:57 -0700 2009 4986310 104084 LNG212 8 4987152 I've found the Ball kits at Walmart and at my regular grocery store. Fri Aug 28 16:28:36 -0700 2009 4986395 173425 Jen76 1 4930291 A wise investment..... http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-43860/Detail Sun Aug 09 07:03:29 -0700 2009 4930022 65057 Uncle Bob 1 4930670 I found good, one on one, advice on this subject at: www.canningpantryforum.com Fortunately, I had purchased the USDA pamphlet on home canning and did not proceed with some questionable ideas. The pamphlet is available for just a couple of bucks. Got mine on Alibris.com for $1.99 amongst other el-cheapo cooking references. Sun Aug 09 10:05:00 -0700 2009 4930022 56780 Monch 2 4931215 I scanned through the answers here. And it really matters what your canning. Any high acid food like tomatoes and pickles using vinegar can be done in a water bath. And I have canned high acid foods with just the hot liquid poured in hot sterilized jars without a water bath. But If your canning any low acid food like meat and some veggies then a pressure cooker is the only safe way to go. Sun Aug 09 14:33:43 -0700 2009 4930670 183005 horseshoe 3 4932438 I'm also making a solar cooker / oven so was wondering if something can be canned in the solar oven. I found this soar canning bit here: http://www.cookwiththesun.com/canning.htm Only tomatoes are shown but I guess other fruits can be canned the same way. WHICH fruits are high acid foods btw? Mon Aug 10 05:59:09 -0700 2009 4931215 1092368 unknownwarrior