Am I canning incorrectly?!


Question:

Am I canning incorrectly?

I know there are lots of instructions on canning tomatoes and fruits, but I didn't really follow those instructions because they didn't make sense. I know this method is different, but here me out and tell me if you can find fault with it.

1) clean, peel, cut tomatoes into fourths
2) sterilize jars in oven.
A) I don't think this is necessary because the tomatoes will not be sterile and they will be placed into the jars, thus contaminating them, but I do it anyway.
B) I use the oven at about 350 for maybe 10 mins or so because it is easier, less messy, and I can do more jars at once compared to the boiling water method
3) Place tomatoes in jars and add some lemon juice (forget exactly how much...1 or 2 TBS per quart), and add some water.
4) Place jars back in oven until tiny bubbles indicate internal liquid temperature in jars is at 212 degrees...usually takes 20 - 30 minutes.
5) Remove jars from oven
6) Place sterile lids on jars (boiled in pan) and let cool

Additional Details

1 day ago
Contrast this to putting the lids on the jars and boiling the sealed jar for some amount of time. I don't see how the jar's contents get sterlized because I don't know if they are brought to high enough temperature.
I also don't know how the seal is formed with the lids on because there is no room for air to expand within the jar the the traditional method. With my method, the air heats up, expands, and when the lid is placed on, it pops as it cools down.

Thanks for the input.

19 hours ago
COMMENT:
I understand how the lids work now - the air can escape as long as they aren't over tightened.
But I don't see how boiling the closed jars in water is better than the oven. Let's say you boil for 30 minutes and over the jars with water so they are totally submerged. How is that better than doing it the oven? The water temp is at 212, approximately, but you can put the oven at 400 degrees. Why not leave in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 instead of in the 212 degree water for the same amount of time? Am I just missing something?

Again, I know this is non-traditional, but I don't see the logic in how this is less safe than the boiling method. In fact, it seems safer due to higher temperatures.


Answers: 1 day ago
Contrast this to putting the lids on the jars and boiling the sealed jar for some amount of time. I don't see how the jar's contents get sterlized because I don't know if they are brought to high enough temperature.
I also don't know how the seal is formed with the lids on because there is no room for air to expand within the jar the the traditional method. With my method, the air heats up, expands, and when the lid is placed on, it pops as it cools down.

Thanks for the input.19 hours ago
COMMENT:
I understand how the lids work now - the air can escape as long as they aren't over tightened.
But I don't see how boiling the closed jars in water is better than the oven. Let's say you boil for 30 minutes and over the jars with water so they are totally submerged. How is that better than doing it the oven? The water temp is at 212, approximately, but you can put the oven at 400 degrees. Why not leave in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 instead of in the 212 degree water for the same amount of time? Am I just missing something?

Again, I know this is non-traditional, but I don't see the logic in how this is less safe than the boiling method. In fact, it seems safer due to higher temperatures. USDA considers oven canning an unsafe practice. As recommended by another answerer, the boiling-water canning method is easier. Not only that, it is MUCH SAFER. With your method the contents of the jar are open to the environment and therefore subject to contamination. Also you are not keeping the contents at boiling temperature long enough to kill some of the heat tolerant bacteria. If you are at 1,000 ft or lower the boiling temperature of water is 212F. However the boiling temperature of water decreases as altitude increases. At 6,000ft (Denver, CO) the boiling temperature of water is 203F. Consequently, as altitude increases you must keep the product at boiling temperature for longer periods of time. For tomatoes it is 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts at sea level. At 6,000 ft it is 35 min for pts and 40 min for qts.

You start with clean sterile jars to decrease the probability of bacteria and yeast contamination. And of course you wash the product to be canned in clean water before preparation for the same reason.

You have some misconceptions about how the lids and rings are used. The only purpose of the ring is to hold the lid, GENTLY, in place while the lid seals. This allows the air to escape as it expands during the canning process. Also the gasket on the lid is thin. If you screw the ring down too tightly you can cut the gasket and cause a seal failure. Often the failure will not reveal itself for weeks or months. The rings and especially the lids should be washed in hot soapy water then rinsed in hot water. The lids should not be boiled because it makes the gasket too soft. Lids are heated to about 180F - this is just about when the first bubbles appear in the heating water. The box that the lids come in has the instructions for properly preparing the lids.

You use 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice for pints and 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice for quarts. This is very important because most of the tomatoes marketed today are too low in acid to safely can using the boiling-water canning method. Without the lemon juice you must pressure can the tomatoes, unless you can verify, with laboratory accuracy, that the pH of the tomato is 4.6 or lower.

Here is a link to the USDA's Principles of Home Canning Guide. It is a free, downloadable and printable .pdf document. It explains boilng-water canning and pressure canning.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/us...

Here is a link to the USDA's Guide to Selecting, Preparing and Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products. It too is a free, downloadable and printable .pdf document.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/us...

A handy canning guide to have is the Ball Bluebook of Home Canning, Freezing and Dehydration. It is available in some book stores and most stores which market home canning supplies, including large hardware stores that carry home canning supplies. This is a USDA approved guide. It costs less than $10. You may find it in used book stores. If it is a 1999 or newer edition it has the most current USDA info. Older editions do not have the latest changes and are not acceptable references.

If you are into home canning there is a fairly new publication titled It's So Easy To Preserve. It's published by The National Center For Home Food Preservation and costs about $20. It is a very comprehensive guide. There is also a DVD version of this book. They are available on-line here:
http://www.uga.edu/setp/

For safety's sake please stop oven canning and go to the boiling-water canning method for your tomatoes.

Happy Home Canning! Source(s):
I'm a certified Master Food Preserver volunteer with the Extension Service. This is great for oven canning, but its so much simpler this way....... get a large canning pot...... big enough to put 7 quarts in or pints, tall enough that you can cover them with water....... wash your jars, rinse, pack with clean tomatoes add water to jars to finish filling ........ seal with lids and rings, and water bath for 30 minutes.. this means the water should be over the top of the jars...... . remove from the bath and set on a towel until cool... make sure they are sealed......... store.. if you need or want to know more, email me... I have canned for over 40 years......... with my Mom too......she taught me alot... i use the water bath and boil for 10-15 min. but ALWAYS ADD SALT for a preservative



The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources