I
YORK You wouldn’t slosh
gasoline on the wood in your
fireplace just because it would be a
faster way to start a fire, would
you? Well, you shouldn’t use un
safe canning methods just because
they’re faster either. Many unsafe
methods of canning have surfaced
over time and should be avoided,
according to home economist Joan
Lamberson.
Open kettle canning is unsafe.
Open kettle canning means food is
cooked in an open kettle until it is
adequately heat-processed. Then it
Canning methods not recommended and why
is packed into sterile jars and
sealed without additional
processing. This method of can
ning is not recommended because
transferring the food from the open
kettle to a sterile jar can expose it
to additional micro-organisms and
recontaminate the food. Also, the
heating processing in the open
kettle does not always kill all the
microorganisms that could cause
spoilage.
Steam canning, in spite of
research done in the past ten
years, is not a safe canning method
either. Steam canners that are
marketed today do not allow for
venting of steam. Instead of pure,
saturated steam or boiling water,
steam canners use a mixture of air
and steam which is not deadly to
microorganisms and which will not
sterilize your canned food
properly. j
Oven Canning in any oven
conventional or microwave r— is
unsafe. The balance of internal and
external pressure in an 'oven
cannot be maintained as In a
canner. Glass jars may ’ ' or
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 18,1983—817
explode from this uneven pressure
and result ui the loss of food or
injury if it occurs while opening the
oven. An ovlen also does not
distribute beat evenly, resulting in
some jars not being heated enough
for sterilizations. Jar lids also
don’t seal well in the dry head of an
oven.
Automatic dishwasher canning
is also unsafe. Dishwashers were
made to wash dishes, not process
food. The temperature of water in
a dishwasher is usually about 130-
160° P, not nearly hot enough to
process canned food.
Aspirin canning is another un
safe method. Aspirin is not a
preservative and doesn’t contain
enough acid to change the acidity
of any food. It cannot replace or
even reduce the need for heat
processing of canned foods.
Cold pack is not a canning
method, but the terminology could
cause some problems if used
literally. When cold or raw foods
are packed into jars, you must also
process the full jars in boiling
water or in a pressure canner for
the recommended times to
sterilize the food.
The only two recommended
methods of processing food are
boiling-water and pressure
processing canning. The method
you use depends on the type of food
you’re processing. Use a pressure
canner for canning meats and
vegetables, other than tomatoes
and pickled beets. Use a boiling
water bath for canning fruits,
tomatoes and all pickled foods.
THINK AHEAD...
Read Future* Markets an Page 3.