Methods & Techniques

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What Is Brining?

The brining process is part of the pickling process. The brining solution extracts juice and sugar from your food, forming lactic acid, which is the preservative in your pickled food. Your brine solution [more…]

Adjustments for High-Altitude Canning

Home cooks who live at high altitudes may be used to adjusting recipes; high-altitude adjustments apply to home canning, as well. Canning food safely requires your filled jars to be processed at a specified [more…]

Preserve Food by Canning, Freezing, and Drying

This at-a-glance guide shows how to preserve foods by canning, freezing, and drying. People have been preserving food for eons. Newer, safer food preservation techniques and equipment enable you to stock [more…]

Tips for Successful and Safe Canning

Keep safety in mind whether you're water-bath canning or pressure canning. By canning foods safely, you can prevent kitchen accidents and food spoilage. Increase your chances for successful canning and [more…]

Tools and Equipment for Canning and Preserving

If you plan to can, freeze, or dry your food, you'll need some special tools. The equipment involved with canning or preserving food is designed for efficiency and safety, so be sure you to use them. If [more…]

Canning & Preserving For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Preserve food by water-bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying — all are time-honored and safe techniques. Canning and preserving are great ways to save foods at their peak freshness and flavor [more…]

Food Preservation Methods: Canning, Freezing, and Drying

You can preserve foods inexpensively by using canning, freezing, or drying techniques. Modern-day food preservation methods, such as water-bath canning, help you can and preserve with ease. After you understand [more…]

The Right Kitchen Tools for Canning and Preserving Foods

When canning and preserving foods, you need the right kitchen tools and utensils to do the job properly. Some of the basic food preservation tools, like a jar lifter or a lid wand, are only used for canning [more…]

Specialty Equipment that Makes Canning and Preserving Easier

In addition to basic kitchen utensils and equipment designed for canning and preserving, there are other specialty items that save time when canning and preserving foods. Although these items may not be [more…]

Why Acidity Levels are Important When Canning Foods

Knowing the acidity level of the food you’re preserving is important because the pH, the measure of acidity, determines which of the two canning methods you should use: water-bath canning or pressure canning [more…]

Tools and Equipment for Freezing or Drying Food

Most of the tools and equipment you'll need for freezing or drying foods (except an electric dehydrator) are probably waiting for you in your kitchen. These items will make your preserving tasks more efficient [more…]

How to Avoid Spoilage When Canning and Preserving Foods

Food spoilage is the deterioration in canned or preserved food that makes your food unsafe for eating. Mold, yeast, bacteria, and enzymes are the spoilers. Ingesting spoiled food can cause a wide range [more…]

How to Detect Spoilage in Home-Canned Foods

When canning foods, the chances of food spoilage are greatly reduced when you follow the precise guidelines for preserving methods. You can detect food spoilage by visually examining your jars. If you [more…]

Key Tricks for Mastering Canning and Preserving

Canning and preserving methods are simple and safe, and can produce food that’s nutritious and delicious. Mastering the techniques and becoming a successful food preserver takes time, effort, and knowledge [more…]

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