3 Popular Methods of Canning at Home
Learn the basics of how to can at home in order to preserve food and know exactly what’s in your families meals with this beginners guide to canning methods.
Canning is a process of preserving food by packing it in airtight jars and heating it to a temperature that destroys microorganisms. The canning process can also keep the food from spoiling as soon as the jar is opened.
There are three common canning methods that can be used for vegetables, fruits and meats, which each have their own specific uses. Each canning method uses a combination of heat and pressure to kill any microorganisms in the food being preserved before putting it into a canning jar and sealing it until can be opened.
The History of Preserving Food in Early American History
In early American history, canning was not a common method of food preservation. Most people relied on methods like drying and pickling to make their food last longer. However, canning began to gain popularity in the late 18th century, when a French confectioner named Nicholas Appert discovered that he could preserve food by packing it in airtight jars and heating it to a temperature that destroys microorganisms. This process was later improved by British scientist James Lind, who found that adding vinegar to the food helped to prevent the growth of mold.
Canning Methods and Their Differences
There are three canning methods that can be used for vegetables, fruits and meats: pressure canning, water bath canning, and steam canning. Each of these canning methods has its own specific uses, depending on what the goal is when canning.
Pressure canning is used for high acid foods, while water bath canning is used for low acid foods. Steam canning is usually used for herbs. Each canning method uses a combination of heat and pressure to kill any microorganisms in the food being preserved before putting it into a canning jar and sealing it until can be opened.
Canning with a pressure canner is the most common way to can meats. The pressure canner reaches a higher temperature of can kill microorganisms and seal the canning jar air-tight. This can be used for foods with a high acid level, such as meats and vegetables.
Water bath canning is used for high-acid foods that don’t contain enough acid to use pressure canning. These can include fruits, jams and jellies, salsa, and pickles. This canning process can be used at a range of harder to softer water hardness that may not be possible to can using steam canning.
Steam canning uses steam instead of boiling the produce in several inches of water as with water-bath canning. The canner can fit more jars at one time than can be processed using the water-bath canning process. Steam canning can be used for foods like vegetables, herbs, and meats that contain low acid levels.
When To Use What Type of Canning
When canning, there are three types of canning that can be used: pressure canning, water bath canning, and steam canning. Each type of canning has its own specific uses, depending on what the goal is when canning.
Pressure canning is most commonly used for canning meats, while water bath canning is used for high-acid foods that don’t contain enough acid to use pressure canning. Steam canning is usually used for herbs.
Each type of canning uses a combination of heat and pressure to kill any microorganisms in the food being preserved before putting it into a canning jar and sealing it until can be opened.
How to Can With a Pressure Canner
How to can with a pressure canner is a process that can be used to preserve food by packing it in airtight jars and heating it to a temperature that destroys microorganisms. The canning process can also keep the food from spoiling as soon as the jar is opened. A pressure canner reaches a higher temperature than a boiling water bath, which can kill microorganisms and seal the canning jar air-tight. This method is used for foods with a high acid level, such as meats and vegetables.
The first step in canning with a pressure canner is to gather all of the necessary supplies. This includes the canner, jars, lids, rings, tongs, and a ladle. The jars and lids can be sterilized by boiling them in a canner filled with hot water for 10 minutes. To keep the canning jars from cracking, never place cold jars in hot water or put hot jars into cold water. After being boiled, the pressure canner should have 2 to 3 inches of simmering water over the tops of the canning jars when canning is ready.
The canner rack can be used to keep the jars off the bottom when canning, but it can also be used for extra capacity if the canner is set on a wire rack rather than one of its side handles. This can make it easier to pour water into and out of the canner when canning.
The jars should be filled with food, keeping at least 1/2 inch (up to 1 inch) of space between the top of the food and canning jar lid. The canning lids should be placed on top of the canning jars and can be tightened with canning jar wrench.
Once you’ve placed the jars in the pressure canner and sealed the lid the amount of pressure needed and the amount of time will vary on what type of food you are preserving.
After canning is complete, the canner can be removed from heat and can stay untouched until canning is done.
If you’re looking to purchase a pressure canner, check out this post by SeriousEats.com reviewing the best pressure canners.
How To Can With a Water Bath Canner
Water bath canning is a process that can be used for high-acid foods that don’t contain enough acid to use pressure canning. This can include fruits, jams and jellies, salsa, and pickles. In water bath canning, the produce is boiled in several inches of water for a certain amount of time.
This canning process can be used at a range of harder to softer water hardness that may not be possible to can using steam canning.
To can with a water bath canner, all of the supplies for canning and your ingredients will need to be gathered and ready before canning begins. This includes: jars, lids, rings, canner, canning tongs and canning funnel. As with canning meats or vegetables, canning jars can be boiled before use if they are glass to keep them from breaking when exposed to high heat and pressure during the canning process.
After the canner is fully heated and any water has been removed from the canner, the canning process can begin. A canning rack can be used to keep jars off of the bottom if they are not being can on a wire rack. The canner should have 2 to 3 inches of simmering water covering its top when canning is ready.
The canning funnel helps guide food into the jars, while canning tongs can be used for handling the jars. When canning, pack the jars tightly with your food and cover it completely. The canner can then be closed to begin canning.
The canner should start to create steam within 10 minutes (15 if the water was less than 1 inch deep over the tops of the canning jars.) The canner can be checked every so often to make sure there is always at least 1 inch of simmering water above canning jars. If the canner has no lid, it can be topped off with more boiling hot water as needed throughout the process.
After the canner has finished canning, allow it to cool and canning jars can be removed. If you used canning tongs when canning, make sure not to touch the canner rack handles when removing the jars since they will still be extremely hot. Once everything has cooled and the canner is empty, clean all of your canning equipment before storing it away for next time.
How to Can With A Steam Canner
The first step in canning with a steam canner is to gather all of the necessary supplies. This includes the canner, jars, lids, rings, tongs, and a ladle. The jars and lids can be sterilized by boiling them in a canner filled with hot water for 10 minutes. To keep the canner from overheating, it can be placed on a wire rack instead of one of its side handles.
Using canning tongs can make canning a jar of produce easier. To can, fill the canner halfway with water and put it on the stove.
Once boiling is reached, follow canner instructions for how many inches of hot water to place over the jars. In general, 3-4 inches of hot canning water should be sufficient to can most varieties of fruits and vegetables.
Once canning water is placed over the canning jars, it can be brought to a boil again. Make sure that canning tongs can fit into your canner without touching the sides or bottom, otherwise the canner may become too hot for proper canning use.
Pack canning jars with produce tightly and bring them also to a boil. Make sure to use canning tongs when canning to not burn your hands on the boiling canner water or jar lids and rings .
Keep canner and produce boiling for the given canning time according to canner instructions, but make sure that the canning jars do not touch each other or the sides of the canner.
Once canning time is up, use canning tongs to remove the canning jars from the canner carefully. It can be dangerous to touch canning jar handles after canning since they are still very hot and may burn you when touched. Allow the jars to cool for several hours before removing rings from jars or canning lids. You can can your canning jars in the canner for up to three hours, but must let them cool completely before touching or moving them.
After canning is complete, clean canner and all canning supplies with water and leave them to dry overnight.
Which Type of Canning Will You Be Trying?
Canning can be a great way to preserve your food, and each canning method has its own benefits and drawbacks. So which of the three types of canning we discussed: pressure canning, water bath canning, and steam canning will you be trying?
