Corning smooth top and canning?

[vintagekitchen]

I agree that the water bath times for vegetables are too lengthy for my tastes, especially since my family normally goes minimum 2 hours for beans, but prefers 3 hours. Thats what first tempted me to try pressure canning. Nothing could ever make me stop using my oven for large batch canning of fruits and tomatoes though. My 1950's better homes and gardens has a table of times and instructions for oven canning, and I use it every year. You can do so many jars at once, and no huge clouds of steam rolling through the house.

I keep meaning to try the cake in a jar recipes some o my cousins use, but never seem to get around to is. The make quickbreads like banana bread and zuchini bread, and cakes like chocolate cake, spice cake, carrot cake, etc, baking it in wide mouth pint jars, then as soon as it is done baking screw on a boiled jar lid, and they say they have had them up to a year old with no issues. I have eaten them at their houses, and the cakes were very moist from cooling in the sealed jar.

 

[frigilux]

I look upon using currently recommended canning methods as the "seat belt and air bag" of the canning world. People drove for decades without seat belts and air bags and lived to ripe old ages; but if you do get into an accident, the seat belt and air bag seem like very good ideas.

As for following guidelines from 1950, I have this to say: My mom washed alter linens for our church for many years. The guidelines of the time (from the mid-50's) recommended using carbon tetrachloride and a hot iron to remove candle wax from linens. She died from lung cancer as a result of following this outdated and unsafe practice.

And stop smoking, Kevin!!

There. My work here is done, LOL.

 

[maytagbear]

If nothing else......

plant cultivars have changed since the 1950s, acid levels and other aspects have changed, and it is true that botulism spores can live in good garden soil.

I used to can a fair bit, but have cut back since I live alone now. However, when I DO can, I use a Ball Blue Book that is no more than five years old.

Taking the time to be careful is just cheap insurance for a person and those who may eat at his or her table.

Also, as I see it, using best current practice is a way of showing respect to the food being canned. This drought is raising, and will continue to raise questions of food availability, distribution, and fairness.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[iheartmaytag]

I recently asked a sales person at Sear's the question about canning on a smooth top. The reply: She had just came from a two day training with GE, and their stand is canning is ok, as long as the canner does not exceed 1 inch beyond the burner. They have a new range with a 15" adjustable burner designed specifically for canning. It also has a bridge burner to use a griddle.

My Maytag manual says the same thing, "not to exceed 1 inch beyond the burner. I use the smaller pressure cooker on this range, but have never tried the canner.

Now keep in mind these are the newer Shott's Ceran cook tops and not the Corning cook top

 

[norgeway]

Canning...

Dons Mother cans green beans the old fashioned way, 3 hours, she has done this for the 59 years She has been married, raised 4 kids and no one has ever been sick from eating them, I agree , pressure canning is safer, its what I grew up with, but I think the main thing is to WASH! your vegatables well, my Grandmother said ALWAYS thru seven waters!, then sterilize your jars and lids, Dons Mom does everything the old fashioned way!! But My Grandmother got a Presto canner in 1954, my Aunt still uses it...and she is 85! One of my first memories as a child is setting on a stool in front of the Hotpoint range watching the guage.." Now honey, if it goes past 10 you tell me..its REAL important!"That was my job when I was 5 or so, so I never had any fear of a pressure canner or cooker, but Dons mother wouldnt touch one. also, Grandmother heated her beans to a rolling boil, then filled the jars, Dons Mom packs the beans in raw, then pours boiling water over them, I do tomatoes differently than either of them , I pack the raw peeled and quartered tomatoes in the jar, add salt, seal, then pressure 5 lbs for 5 minutes ,Then you dont have a watery mess, but rather nice firm pieces of tomato.

 

[polkanut]

Hans,

Most everyone I know prefers a "firm piece" to a soft one. 

 

[hunter]

using old canning instructions

It is certainly true that everyone did not die from old canning practices, but as someone else said ... it's like seat belts and air bags, when you didn't get into an accident you were fine but when you did, oh oh.

Jams and pickles...okay you're not going to get botulism from either of them.

But tomatoes? Tomatoes are so low acid now the guidelines say to add lemon juice. And even before low acid tomatoes they had the lowest acid you could water bath can safely.

Personally given how deadly food borne illness can be - folks think of (say) ecoli poisoning as something you can get over, but it can give you long term health problems. And this isn't botulism, which is even worse, I WANT suspenders and belt, seat belts and air bags.

Hunter