Canning: Expert Guides and Resources

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 of the rules.Follow these tips for achieving success as a home canner and preserver: Start with the freshest, best products available.

You can preserve food by water-bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or dehydrating—all are time-honored and safe techniques. Canning and preserving are great ways to save foods at their peak freshness and flavor and to stock your pantry with nutritious and delicious fare. These checklists provide quick instructions for each food preservation method, information on how to adjust recipes for high-altitude processing, advice to ensure canning success, and details on must-have canning and preserving equipment.

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 the basic procedures for a food preservation method, you'll just need to concentrate on preparing your recipe.

Like cooked food, canned food is subject to changes in appearance and nutritional content. Food is canned by heating what goes into the container and then sealing the container to keep out air and microbes. It is then reheated after the can/jar is sealed. Heating food often changes its color and texture. It also destroys some vitamin C.

Water-bath canning, sometimes referred to as the boiling-water method of canning, is the simplest and easiest method for preserving high-acid food. Water-bath canning destroys any active bacteria and microorganisms in your food, making it safe for consumption at a later time. Prepare equipment and utensils. Examine the jars for nicks or chips, the screw bands for proper fit and corrosion, and the new lids for imperfections and scratches.

Whether you can food yourself or buy it canned, canned food has the potential to spoil. To avoid making yourself sick with canned foods that have spoiled, watch out for these signs of a spoiled product: A bulging can or lid, or a broken seal A can or lid that shows signs of corrosion Food that has oozed or seeped under the jar’s lid Gassiness, indicated by tiny bubbles moving upward in the jar (or bubbles visible when you open the can) Food that looks mushy, moldy, or cloudy Food that gives off an unpleasant or disagreeable odor when you open the jar Spurting liquid from the can or jar when you open it Botulism poisoning can be fatal.

To can low-acid foods, you use a pressure canner. Pressure canning is the only safe way to can low-acid foods. Each step of the pressure-canning process is important to produce safe, home-canned foods: Assemble your equipment and utensils. Examine the jars for nicks or chips, screw bands for proper fit and corrosion, and new lids for imperfections and scratches.

Pickling preserves food in a brine solution. The perfect balance of salt, vinegar, water, and herbs and spices can safely preserve your pickled food. You can achieve this balance by precisely measuring your pickling ingredients: Salt: Used as a preservative. It adds flavor and crispness to your food, especially pickles.