I have never canned and then use the water bath. What is the reason for the water bath and is it only for certain foods?
I tried it once and the jars broke when I poured boiling water over them. Can someone clarify this method for me. I can't seem to find any detail answers as to what went wrong. Thanks...kb
Except for helping my mom when I was a kid, I haven't done canning myself, but...I think where you went wrong was pouring the boiling water over the finished jars. From what I recall and what I've read recently, you'd need to put the filled jars on a rack in the canning pot with the water and bring them to a boil together. I'd recommend doing a little more research to be sure.
A water bath canner is really nothing more than a very large pot, enough so that you can submerge canning jars and cover them with several inches of water. You'll need an extra few inches of depth in the pot to allow for the boiling water so that it doesn't spill over. A boiling water bath is used for processing fruits, pickles, jams and jellies, fruit juice, tomatoes, and high acid foods. Low acid foods, like meats and most vegetables need to be processed in a pressure canner.Originally Posted by KarenB
If you use Mason jars or Ball canning jars, you shouldn't have any problems with jars breaking if you don't expose the jars to sudden temperature changes. Heat the jars before you pack them with hot food, then put them into the hot water. When you take the jars out of the canner (using a jar lifter) don't put them onto a cold metal or granite surface - you can put them on a towel or rack to cool and keep them from drafts for the first 30 minutes while they cool.
If you're planning on doing any canning, there's a little bit of a learning curve at first but it's really pretty simple once you get started.
Canning is fun!
--CM
Good planI would recommend that anyone interested in learning to can pick up a Ball Blue Book and read at least the first chapter before starting to can.
--CM
Thanks everyone. I believe it was the shock of the hot water that did it. I was following the instructions. Won't use them again! and yes canning is fun. I've been hooked on it for over 20 years. jams, jellies, dill pickles naturally fermented, relishes and hot mustard. kb
By water bath I am assuming you mean filling you jars then placing them in a large canning pot in a wire rack. If you go on line to Ball Canning you can find all the info you need. I started canning last year and did alot of reading to understand the difference between canning in a hot water canner and pressure cooker canning. The hot water method is for acidic foods like tomatoes and fruits, because you do not need as high a temp. to safely can these foods. But to can veggies, soups and meats you need a pressure cooker because it gets to a higher temp. and kills bacteria in you foods. The best investment I made was to buy a Ball canning book.
I have been canning for years and still use my canning book. So, by all means, buy a canning book and use it religiously.
I love to make old fashioned piccalilli and spicy ketchup and I always can lots of pasta sauce and tomato puree. I don't think I would make ketchup now with the 40 oz bottle for $1 at Wally World - it takes too many tomatoes to fill that jar! This year I hope I'll have lots of cucumbers from the garden, and I've just gotten a brand new pickle crock. Maybe I'll make some sauerkraut, too.
--CM
I have been canning plum jelly and jam the past few days, using Sure Jell recipes, which do not call for processing the recipe. But some recipes I have found on this site for jelly/jam do call for a "bath." When is it necessary and when not?
Actually I was wrong, the SureJell recipes do call for processing, but some books do not. If I sterilize the jars before filling, do I really need to process the jelly or jam? The lids are all sealing.
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