Morgan - Water Bath Canning And Preserving Cookbook For Beginners

Water bath canning is a method of preserving watertight, airtight, and heat-resistant food. Food that has been processed by this method will have a shelf life of up to one year when stored in a cool, dark place.

To preserve by water bath canning, the food must be packed tightly in jars or cans without leaving too much headspace and heated to 240 degrees Fahrenheit before being submerged in water at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for a long enough time that all bacteria are killed.

There are advantages and disadvantages to preserving food by water bath canning. Advantages include: No expense is needed for special equipment except for the jars, lids, and rings. Storage is safe and easy, and jars are readily available. Many foods (for example, sweet corn) spoil quickly if not canned, but canning prevents this. Disadvantages include: long processing time, difficulty in getting a consistently high temperature, water bath canners are bulky and require standing or sitting close to them, and the jars may break if not handled carefully.

Safety concerns include: jars may not seal properly or unevenly, which could allow bacteria to enter and cause food poisoning.

The temperature required for the best flavor should be attained gradually. It is impossible to attain the desired temperature in a short time by having a large quantity of jar in too small of an amount of water at first. The ideal temperature for the best flavor is between 200 and 250F.

The time required to reach the desired temperature should be based on the time it takes for water to boil since boiling occurs at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, if you wanted the water to reach a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit 1 minute after it had been brought to that temperature, you would need 2 gallons of water which took 1 minute to boil. Since jars are manufactured with tight seals, air pressure is not required for sealing.

Essentially, the seal is formed between the metal rings and the metal lid by forming a vacuum in the jar. If a jar is tilted to one side, water pressure on either side will push down on the jar to seal it.

The types of jars needed for water bath canning are: flat jars used for liquids or pints, cylinders with straight walls, or jars with crocks for foods such as fruits, pickles, jams, and jellies. A wide variety of different jar shapes are available depending on what you want to store.

There is a rack that keeps the jars of food above the water in the canner. The racks hold the jars at a certain distance from the bottom of the canner to allow for hot and cold air circulation around the jars. This allows hot air on all sides while they cook and cold air in one direction throughout processing time.

Tubing is used when it is desired to use a large amount of water. In this case, the water is pumped into a large or deep container, and it can be circulated around the jars.

The jars are washed and sanitized (sterilized) according to the manufacturer's instructions and placed on a rack in a boiling water canner. The water is heated to (usually) about 180-200F for at least 1 hour. Some recipes use higher temperatures and more time, such as 240F for 15 minutes. It is also possible to sterilize jars in an oven by placing them on racks (without oil or lids). Sterilize jars by placing them in the oven at 250F for 30 minutes. Ideally, do not put jars directly on oven racks because this may cause them to break. Another method is to wash and sterilize the jars using a dishwasher or steamer.