Smart tips for canning your food with boiling water

The most common canning method is the boiling-water bath, which involves placing the filled, open-lidded jars in a deep container of water and bringing it to a boil. Here are some smart tips for getting started.

• Put the filled, open-lidded jars in a deep container of water and heat until the contents of all the jars reach 85°C (185°F). Heating expels any air left in the jars and sterilizes the contents.
• After removing the jars from the boiling water the lids are checked and closed tight so that, as the jar cools, a vacuum seal is formed.
• Processing time varies according to a number of factors, including the shape and size of the jars and the ratio of solids to liquid.
• After heat-processing, check the seal on every jar. Make sure the lid is still held firmly in place and tighten screw lids if needed (use a cloth to protect your hands from the hot lids).
• Leave to cool for 24 hours.
• Seals can be further checked by standing the cold jar upside-down for an hour — leaks or air bubbles indicate that the jar has not sealed and it should either be reprocessed or the fruit should be refrigerated and eaten within three days.
• Correctly sealed jars should be washed and dried, labelled and dated and stored in a cool, dark place.
• Commercially available preserving units take the guesswork out of the heating process and make it easy to achieve consistent results. Some units are used on top of the stove with a thermometer; others, with built-in electric elements, are thermostatically controlled and fully automatic.

Further precautions are necessary for safety even after the processed food is on the shelf.

• Discard any jar with a foamy or discoloured appearance, with a bulging or misshapen lid, or where leaking occurs.
• Check bottled fruit before eating it: discolouration, odour, mold and spurting liquid are all reasons to discard the contents.

Some specialized utensils, in addition to standard kitchen equipment, are essential for successful canning.

• A large, flat-bottomed pot with a rack to hold jars or a proprietary preserving unit will be needed to process fruit.
• Other important accessories include tongs for lifting hot jars and an accurate timer.

With these simple tips, you can preserve and safely consume your food in no time!

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