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Farm Kitchen:  Canning Question  |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 11:43:01 AM
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Hi Sisters,
I am new to canning and have a question. I have used my pressure canner but I am wondering when a canning recipe calls for waterbath canning, can you instead use a pressure canner? For example I want to can a mixed fruit mincemeat recipe written especially for canning but it calls for processing in a water bath for 30 minutes. Can I use my pressure canner instead or does one really need to use two different methods depending on what is being canned?
Thank you for your knowledge!
Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 12:31:03 PM
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Annette, very good question! :-) The reason that we do two different processes has to do with the acidity of the foods we are canning. High acid foods do not require as much heat or time as low acid foods and are also usually much more fragile. High heat pretty much turns them to mush. A boiling water bath only gets the temps up to boiling which is 212º. But for low acid foods, they have to be at least 250º and so under pressure, that 212º goes up to quite high heat. Under pressure and at those high heats, fruits, tomatoes, jams and jellies, pickles, mincemeat, chutney, etc do not do well. Plus, under pressure, the low acid foods are not submerged in water, while in waterbathing, they must be. If your pressure canner has a rack on the bottom and is deep enough, you could ostensibly use it as a waterbath canner too, simply filling it with water deep enough to submerge your jars and then loosely covering with the lid,(not clamped down) to bring to a boil and then process at boiling for the 30 minutes. If it isn't that deep, then you will need to get a waterbath canner which will be on sale here soon at places like Walmart and Lowes. They usually run around $25 at Walmart. Hope that helps!!
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 1:02:02 PM
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Thank you Mary Beth! Yes, that helps! I like supporting our local Ace Hardware and they sell a nice water bath canner. They are a bit more expensive but what great service they have and they carry all sizes of canning jars.
Good days to you!
Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 10:20:40 PM
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I bought mine for 18 dollars. You may want to also check freecycle and craig's list for a bit cheaper/free. I think it's worth every penny though free to 25 dollars. lol Cause really the pot will last like forever.
Every thing that Mary Beth said is true.
But, to add just a bit more, the general rule is every thing that calls for waterbathing can be pressure canned, but NEVER try to waterbath anything that calls for pressure canning. As Mary Beth said the pressure canner gets to higher heat, and will kill more things needed to be killed for lower acid foods. However, that being said, the pressure canner will really ruin the texture of many waterbathable foods, and you will get pure mush after pressuring them. As they just can't stand up to the heat and pressure of the pressure cooker, so if you value the texture of your food at all, it may well be worth the up to 25 dollar investment. I pretty much think it's worth the investment. Especially since MOST things in my opinion call for waterbath of what I do at least, and very few of what I do calls for pressurizing. And really that's still pretty cheap, and if nothing else you got a great big pot to sterilize jars in and such as that as well.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Farm Kitchen: Canning Question |
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Canning Question
