1.5: Condiments and Canning

Condiments continue to take center stage in culinary trends as they have since their popularity rose in the late 1990’s. Often there are preserved by canning or sous vide methods popularized in France decades ago. We may look to our agrarian past to see that canning began as a way of preserving foods that were too plentiful to consume totally fresh or as a means of extending their shelf life into the next season past their natural growing time. Today we still do the same but often we do so to add textures, colors, and even acidity to dishes in a planned way to get the most complimentary nuances from their pairings. Condiments are the “building blocks” of the Garde Manger- offering tastes of tart, salty, spicy, or piquant to enhance the flavor of dishes with which they are pared. Examples include mustards, ketchups, chutneys, relishes, pickles, and compotes.

Rather than attempt a comprehensive course on canning, we are going to touch on the high spots and focus on recipes and sanitation methods to ensure safe canning for our project purposes. For those who wish to delve more deeply into canning later there are a number of books and free web based resources available.

• The book- Fool Proof Preserving by America’s Test Kitchen ISBN 978-1-940352-51-0
• National Center for Home Food Preservation- https://nchfp.uga.edu/
• Garde Manger The Art of the Cold Kitchen- 4th edition ISBN 978-0-470-58780-5

Figure 5a.
Canned Tomato Sauce from oversupply of end of semester stock in 2017.
Photo credit: Marshall Welsh

Condiments

Condiments are boldly flavored supporting actors for the plate. They are often served on the side to be used at the will of the guest. In the Deep South many people like to garnish there black-eyed peas with chow-chow- a relish of tomato, onion, bell pepper and cabbage. Condiments are also spreads and dips either slathered on bread like remoulade sauce or mayonnaise on a Po-Boy in New Orleans or horseradish and chili sauce based cocktail sauce to dip fried shrimp in at any of a hundred places up and down the bayou. The point being that a condiment adds a little lagniappe to any dish.

Relish

I remember once that Chef Steven Jilleba, CMC said that he liked the combination of hot and cold food. Relishes offer a perfect opportunity for such. They are most often served cold and placed with or on a hot food item, like pickle relish on a hot dog or chow-chow on black-eyed peas. Relishes liven up and add pizzazz. Some examples are listed below.

• Cranberry relish
• Curried onion relish
• Red onion confit
• Chow-Chow

Mustard

Mustards are a must have pantry staple and are as varied as there are uses for this condiment. They can act as a coating on lamb before topping with breadcrumbs and roasting, an emulsifier when making vinaigrettes and mayonnaise, a dipping sauce, and simply a sauce to add flavor and moisture to sandwiches and hotdogs. In America, we often use a bright yellow prepared mustard but mustards vary from culture to culture. Some are sweet and smooth while others can be hot and grainy with whole mustard seeds. Some mustards we have available to make include:

• Heywood’s Mustard - a zesty cooked mustard that tastes as if it has horseradish
• Swedish mustard Sauce - especially good with cured salmon
• Beer Mustard with Caraway Seeds - a favorite of bratwurst

Ketchup

Though the origin of ketchup is open to debate, one thing for sure is that today it has morphed into a primarily tomato based sauce and is ubiquitous in our culture. Many chefs prepare their own unique iteration of ketchup to have an air of specialty on the menu. I’ve always made my own cocktail sauce with a good quality ketchup as a base and added horseradish sauce and lemon juice at the very least.

Compotes

These are made often by cooking fruits in a syrup and serving them with other sweet desserts. As this relates to the Garde Manger, you could choose a savory item and cook as you would a salpicon to serve with a pate or terrine.

Chutney

You may be familiar with Major Grey’s Chutney. It is a sweet and sour tasting condiment with fruit, ginger, and spices that accompany meats that are often served with a gastrique, like duck and lamb. Chutney is a gift to the world form the culture of India where they also make vegetable based chutney to accompany their diet that is primarily plant based.

Pickles

Pickles are found in cultures around the world and also include many varied ingredients in their preparation from vegetables to eggs, to fruits as in Italy’s Mostardo, to pig’s feet. The cucumbers we most often associate with pickles can be made sweet with sugars and sweet spices or hot and spicy or even sour. They may be whole, sliced or made into a relish. The relish is called dill relish if made sour and sweet relish if made sweet. Sour pickles are loved by many but too sour for me. In the Deep South a favorite is the beloved Bread and Butter Pickle. Some of the forms we may make in class include:

• Cajun Pickled Okra
• Bread and Butter Pickles

Refer to course handouts and or recipes provided by your instructor via the LMS (Learning Management System) ex. Moodle®.

Kerr ® and Ball canning jar lids and seals- Wikipedia

Seals have a rubber seal that fit snuggly to the jar top and are not reusable. Ring lids may be reused until rust shows. Boiling the jars and lids will sterilize the containers and boiling after filling and sealing eliminate bacteria growth.

How Canning Preserves Foods

The high percentage of water in most fresh foods makes them very perishable. They spoil or lose their quality for several reasons:

1. growth of undesirable microorganisms-bacteria, molds, and yeasts,
2. activity of food enzymes,
3. reactions with oxygen,
4. moisture loss.

Microorganisms live and multiply quickly on the surfaces of fresh food and on the inside of bruised, insect-damaged, and diseased food. Oxygen and enzymes are present throughout fresh food tissues.

Proper canning practices include:

1. carefully selecting and washing fresh food,
2. peeling some fresh foods,
3. hot packing many foods,
4. adding acids (lemon juice or vinegar) to some foods,
5. using acceptable jars and self-sealing lids,
6. processing jars in a boiling-water or pressure canner for the correct period of time.

Collectively, these practices remove oxygen; destroy enzymes; prevent the growth of undesirable bacteria, yeasts, and molds; and help form a high vacuum in jars. Good vacuums form tight seals that keep liquid in and air and microorganisms out.

Ensuring Safe Canned Foods

Growth of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum in canned food may cause botulism—a deadly form of food poisoning. These bacteria exist either as spores or as vegetative cells. The spores, which are comparable to plant seeds, can survive harmlessly in soil and water for many years. When ideal conditions exist for growth, the spores produce vegetative cells, which multiply rapidly and may produce a deadly toxin within 3 to 4 days of growth in an environment consisting of:

• a moist, low-acid food
• a temperature between 40° and 120°F
• less than 2 percent oxygen

Botulinum spores are on most fresh food surfaces. Because they grow only in the absence of air, they are harmless on fresh foods.

Most bacteria, yeasts, and molds are difficult to remove from food surfaces. Washing fresh food reduces their numbers only slightly. Peeling root crops, underground stem crops, and tomatoes reduces their numbers greatly. Blanching also helps, but the vital controls are the method of canning and making sure the recommended research-based process times found in the USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning are used. The processing times in this book ensure destruction of the largest expected number of heat-resistant microorganisms in home-canned foods. Properly sterilized canned food will be free of spoilage if lids seal and jars are stored below 95°F. Storing jars at 50° to 70°F enhances retention of quality.

Food acidity and processing methods

Whether food should be processed in a pressure canner or boiling-water canner to control botulinum bacteria depends on the acidity of the food. Acidity may be natural, as in most fruits, or added, as in pickled food. Low-acid canned foods are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of these bacteria. Acid foods contain enough acid to block their growth, or destroy them more rapidly when heated. The term "pH" is a measure of acidity - the lower its value, the more acidic the food. The acidity level in foods can be increased by adding lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar.

Low-acid foods have pH values higher than 4.6. They include red meats, seafood, poultry, milk, and all fresh vegetables except for most tomatoes. Most mixtures of low-acid and acid foods also have pH values above 4.6 unless their recipes include enough lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar to make them acid foods. Acid foods have a pH of 4.6 or lower. They include fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalades, and fruit butters.

Although tomatoes are usually considered an acidic food, some are now known to have pH values slightly above 4.6. Figs also have pH values slightly above 4.6. Therefore, if they are to be canned as acid foods, these products must be acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower with lemon juice or citric acid. Properly acidified tomatoes and figs are acid foods and can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner.

Botulinum spores are very hard to destroy at boiling-water temperatures; the higher the canner temperature, the more easily they are destroyed. Therefore, all low-acid foods should be sterilized at temperatures of 240° to 250°F, attainable with pressure canners operated at 10 to 15 PSIG. PSIG means pounds per square inch of pressure as measured by gauge. The more familiar "PSI" designation is used hereafter in this publication (the Complete Guide to Home Canning). At temperatures of 240° to 250°F, the time needed to destroy bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes.

The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into jars, and the size of jars. The time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner range from seven to 11 hours; the time needed to process acid foods in boiling water varies from five to 85 minutes.

For Safety Purposes

Pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. The bacterium Clostridium botulinum is destroyed in low-acid foods when they are processed at the correct time and pressure in pressure canners. Using boiling water canners for these foods poses a real risk of botulism poisoning.

If Clostridium botulinum bacteria survive and grow inside a sealed jar of food, they can produce a poisonous toxin. Even a taste of food containing this toxin can be fatal. Boiling food 10 minutes at altitudes below 1,000 feet altitude should destroy this poison when it is present. For altitudes at and above 1,000 feet, add 1 additional minute per 1,000 feet additional elevation. Boiling means that you are able to see the liquid in the food actively forming large foamy bubbles that break all over the surface. Note that as of July 2013 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation is to discard any home canned food that might contain botulism toxin. (http://www.cdc.gov/features/homecanning/)

Caution: To prevent the risk of botulism, low-acid and tomato foods not canned according to the recommendations in the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (2015rev) or according to other USDA-endorsed recommendations should be boiled as above, in a saucepan before consuming, even if you detect no signs of spoilage.

All low-acid foods canned according to the approved recommendations may be eaten without boiling them when you are sure of all the following:

• The food was processed in a pressure canner operated according to the procedures in the USDA guidelines.
• The gauge of the pressure canner was accurate.
• Up-to-date researched process times and pressures were used for the size of jar, style of pack, and kind of food being canned.
• The process time and pressure recommended for sterilizing the food at your altitude was followed.
• The jar lid is firmly sealed, and indicates a vacuum seal is present.
• Nothing has leaked from jar.
• No liquid spurts out when jar is opened.
• No unnatural or “off” odors can be detected. No mold is present.

Equipment and Methods Not Recommended

Open-kettle canning and the processing of freshly filled jars in conventional ovens, microwave ovens, and dishwashers are not recommended, because these practices do not prevent all risks of spoilage. Steam canners are not currently recommended because processing times for use with current models are still being researched. It is not recommended that pressure processes in excess of 15 PSI be applied when using new pressure canning equipment. So-called canning powders are useless as preservatives and do not replace the need for proper heat processing. While jars with wire bails and glass caps make attractive antiques or storage containers for dry food ingredients, they are not recommended for use in canning. Neither one-piece zinc porcelain-lined caps nor zinc caps that use flat rubber rings for sealing jars are recommended any longer.

The language above is from the USDA "Complete Guide to Home Canning" (2015 revision). You may also want to read our National Center Burning Issue: Using Atmospheric Steam Canners. The National Center collaborated with the University of Wisconsin to have research conducted on appropriate use of atmospheric steam canners. As long as certain critical controls can be maintained at various steps in the canning process, there are many products appropriate for canning in atmospheric steam canners.

Ensuring High-Quality Canned Foods

Begin with good-quality fresh foods suitable for canning. Quality varies among varieties of fruits and vegetables. Examine food carefully for freshness and wholesomeness. Discard diseased and moldy food. Trim small diseased lesions or spots from food.

Can fruits and vegetables picked from your garden or purchased from nearby producers when the products are at their peak of quality—within 6 to 12 hours after harvest for most vegetables. For best quality, apricots, nectarines, peaches, pears, and plums should be ripened 1 or more days between harvest and canning. If you must delay the canning of other fresh produce, keep it in a shady, cool place.

Fresh home-slaughtered red meats and poultry should be chilled and canned immediately. Do not can meat from sickly or diseased animals. Ice fish and seafood after harvest, eviscerate immediately, and can them within 2 days.

Maintaining color and flavor in canned food

To maintain good natural color and flavor in stored canned food, you must:

• Remove oxygen from food tissues and jars,
• Quickly destroy the food enzymes,
• Obtain high jar vacuums and airtight jar seals.

Follow these guidelines to ensure that your canned foods retain optimum colors and flavors during processing and storage:

• Use only high-quality foods that are at the proper maturity and are free of diseases and bruises.
• Use the hot-pack method, especially with acid foods to be processed in boiling water.
• Do not expose prepared foods to air without reason. Can them as soon as possible.
• While preparing a canner load of jars, keep peeled, halved, quartered, sliced, or diced apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and pears in a solution of 3 grams (3,000 milligrams) ascorbic acid to 1 gallon of cold water. This procedure is also useful in maintaining the natural color of mushrooms and potatoes, and for preventing stem-end discoloration in cherries and grapes.

You can get ascorbic acid in several forms:

Pure powdered form — seasonally available among canners' supplies in supermarkets. One level teaspoon of pure powder weighs about 3 grams. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water as a treatment solution.

Vitamin C tablets — economical and available year-round in many stores. Buy 500-milligram tablets; crush and dissolve six tablets per gallon of water as a treatment solution.

Commercially prepared mixes of ascorbic and citric acid — seasonally available among canners' supplies in supermarkets. Sometimes citric acid powder is sold in supermarkets, but it is less effective in controlling discoloration. If you choose to use these products, follow the manufacturer's directions.

1. Fill hot foods into jars and adjust headspace as specified in recipes.
2. Tighten screw bands securely, but if you are especially strong, not as tightly as possible.
3. Process and cool jars.
4. Store the jars in a relatively cool, dark place, preferably between 50° and 70°F.
5. Can no more food than you will use within a year.

Advantages of hot packing

Many fresh foods contain from 10 percent to more than 30 percent air. How long canned food retains high quality depends on how much air is removed from food before jars are sealed.

Raw packing is the practice of filling jars tightly with freshly prepared, but unheated food. Such foods, especially fruit, will float in the jars. The entrapped air in and around the food may cause discoloration within 2 to 3 months of storage. Raw packing is more suitable for vegetables processed in a pressure canner.

Hot packing is the practice of heating freshly prepared food to boiling, simmering it 2 to 5 minutes, and promptly filling jars loosely with the boiled food. Whether food has been hot-packed or raw-packed, the juice, syrup, or water to be added to the foods should also be heated to boiling before adding it to the jars. This practice helps to remove air from food tissues, shrinks food, helps keep the food from floating in the jars, increases vacuum in sealed jars, and improves shelf life. Preshrinking food permits filling more food into each jar.

Hot packing is the best way to remove air and is the preferred pack style for foods processed in a boiling-water canner. At first, the color of hot-packed foods may appear no better than that of raw-packed foods, but within a short storage period, both color and flavor of hot-packed foods will be superior.

Controlling headspace

The unfilled space above the food in a jar and below its lid is termed headspace. Directions for canning specify leaving 1/4-inch for jams and jellies, ½-inch for fruits and tomatoes to be processed in boiling water, and from 1- to 1¼-inches in low acid foods to be processed in a pressure canner. This space is needed for expansion of food as jars are processed, and for forming vacuums in cooled jars. The extent of expansion is determined by the air content in the food and by the processing temperature. Air expands greatly when heated to high temperatures; the higher the temperature, the greater the expansion. Foods expand less than air when heated.

Recommended Jars and Lids

Food may be canned in glass jars or metal containers. Metal containers can be used only once. They require special sealing equipment and are much more costly than jars.

Regular and wide-mouth Mason-type, threaded, home-canning jars with self-sealing lids are the best choice. They are available in ½ pint, pint, 1½ pint, quart, and ½-gallon sizes. The standard jar mouth opening is about 2-3/8 inches. Wide-mouth jars have openings of about 3 inches, making them more easily filled and emptied. Half-gallon jars may be used for canning very acid juices. Regular-mouth decorator jelly jars are available in 8 and 12-ounce sizes. With careful use and handling, Mason jars may be reused many times, requiring only new lids each time. When jars and lids are used properly, jar seals and vacuums are excellent and jar breakage is rare.

Most commercial pint- and quart-size mayonnaise or salad dressing jars may be used with new two-piece lids for canning acid foods. However, you should expect more seal failures and jar breakage. These jars have a narrower sealing surface and are tempered less than Mason jars, and may be weakened by repeated contact with metal spoons or knives used in dispensing mayonnaise or salad dressing. Seemingly, insignificant scratches in glass may cause cracking and breakage while processing jars in a canner. Mayonnaise-type jars are not recommended for use with foods to be processed in a pressure canner because of excessive jar breakage. Other commercial jars with mouths that cannot be sealed with two-piece canning lids are not recommended for use in canning any food at home.

Jar Cleaning

Before every use, wash empty jars in hot water with detergent and rinse well by hand, or wash in a dishwasher. Unrinsed detergents may cause unnatural flavors and colors. These washing methods do not sterilize jars. Scale or hard-water films on jars are easily removed by soaking jars several hours in a solution containing 1 cup of vinegar (5 percent acidity) per gallon of water.

Sterilization of Empty Jars

All jams, jellies, and pickled products processed less than 10 minutes should be filled into sterile empty jars. To sterilize empty jars, put them right side up on the rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. At higher elevations, boil one additional minute for each additional 1,000 ft. elevation. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time. Save the hot water for processing filled jars. Fill jars with food, add lids, and tighten screw bands.

Empty jars used for vegetables, meats, and fruits to be processed in a pressure canner need not be pre-sterilized. It is also unnecessary to pre-sterilize jars for fruits, tomatoes, and pickled or fermented foods that will be processed 10 minutes or longer in a boiling-water canner.

Lid Selection, Preparation, and Use

The common self-sealing lid consists of a flat metal lid held in place by a metal screw band during processing. The flat lid is crimped around its bottom edge to form a trough, which is filled with a colored gasket compound. When jars are processed, the lid gasket softens and flows slightly to cover the jar-sealing surface, yet allows air to escape from the jar. The gasket then forms an airtight seal as the jar cools. Gaskets in unused lids work well for at least 5 years from date of manufacture. The gasket compound in older unused lids may fail to seal on jars.

Buy only the quantity of lids you will use in a year. To ensure a good seal, carefully follow the manufacturer's directions in preparing lids for use. Examine all metal lids carefully. Do not use old, dented, or deformed lids or lids with gaps or other defects in the sealing gasket.

When directions say to fill jars and adjust lids, use the following procedures: After filling jars with food and adding covering liquid, release air bubbles by inserting a flat plastic (not metal) spatula between the food and the jar. Slowly turn the jar and move the spatula up and down to allow air bubbles to escape. (It is not necessary to release air bubbles when filling jams, jellies or all liquid foods such as juices.) Adjust the headspace and then clean the jar rim (sealing surface) with a dampened paper towel. Place the preheated lid, gasket down, onto the cleaned jar-sealing surface. Uncleaned jar-sealing surfaces may cause seal failures. Then fit the metal screw band over the flat lid. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines enclosed with or on the box for tightening the jar lids properly.

Do not retighten lids after processing jars. As jars cool, the contents in the jar contract, pulling the self-sealing lid firmly against the jar to form a high vacuum.

• If rings are too loose, liquid may escape from jars during processing, and seals may fail.
• If rings are too tight, air cannot vent during processing, and food will discolor during storage. Over tightening also may cause lids to buckle and jars to break, especially with raw-packed, pressure-processed food.

Screw bands are not needed on stored jars. They can be removed easily after jars are cooled. When removed, washed, dried, and stored in a dry area, screw bands may be used many times. If left on stored jars, they become difficult to remove, often rust, and may not work properly again.

Recommended Canners

Equipment for heat-processing home-canned food is of two main types—boiling-water canners and pressure canners. Most are designed to hold seven-quart jars or eight to nine pints. Small pressure canners hold four-quart jars; some large pressure canners hold 18-pint jars in two layers, but hold only seven-quart jars. Pressure saucepans with smaller volume capacities are not recommended for use in canning. Small capacity pressure canners are treated in a similar manner as standard larger canners, and should be vented using the typical venting procedures.

Low-acid foods must be processed in a pressure canner to be free of botulism risks. Although pressure canners may also be used for processing acid foods, boiling water canners are recommended for this purpose because they are faster. A pressure canner would require from 55 to 100 minutes to process a load of jars; while the total time for processing most acid foods in boiling water varies from 25 to 60 minutes. A boiling-water canner loaded with filled jars requires about 20 to 30 minutes of heating before its water begins to boil. A loaded pressure canner requires about 12 to 15 minutes of heating before it begins to vent; another 10 minutes to vent the canner; another 5 minutes to pressurize the canner; another 8 to 10 minutes to process the acid food; and, finally, another 20 to 60 minutes to cool the canner before removing jars.

Boiling-water canners

These canners are made of aluminum or porcelain-covered steel. They have removable perforated racks and fitted lids. The canner must be deep enough so that at least 1 inch of briskly boiling water will be over the tops of jars during processing. Some boiling-water canners do not have flat bottoms. A flat bottom must be used on an electric range. Either a flat or ridged bottom can be used on a gas burner. To ensure uniform processing of all jars with an electric range, the canner should be no more than 4 inches wider in diameter than the element on which it is heated.

Follow these steps for successful boiling-water canning:

1. Before you start preparing your food, fill the canner halfway with clean water. This is approximately the level needed for a canner load of pint jars. For other sizes and numbers of jars, the amount of water in the canner will need to be adjusted so it will be 1 to 2 inches over the top of the filled jars.
2. Preheat water to 140°F for raw-packed foods and to 180°F for hot-packed foods. Food preparation can begin while this water is preheating.
3. Load filled jars, fitted with lids, into the canner rack and use the handles to lower the rack into the water; or fill the canner with the rack in the bottom, one jar at a time, using a jar lifter. When using a jar lifter, make sure it is securely positioned below the neck of the jar (below the screw band of the lid). Keep the jar upright at all times. Tilting the jar could cause food to spill into the sealing area of the lid.
4. Add more boiling water, if needed, so the water level is at least 1 inch above jar tops. For process times over 30 minutes, the water level should be at least 2 inches above the tops of the jars.
5. Turn heat to its highest position, cover the canner with its lid, and heat until the water in the canner boils vigorously.
6. Set a timer for the total minutes required for processing the food.
7. Keep the canner covered and maintain a boil throughout the process schedule. The heat setting may be lowered a little as long as a complete boil is maintained for the entire process time. If the water stops boiling at any time during the process, bring the water back to a vigorous boil and begin the timing of the process over, from the beginning.
8. Add more boiling water, if needed, to keep the water level above the jars.
9. When jars have been boiled for the recommended time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars.
10. Using a jar lifter, remove the jars and place them on a towel, leaving at least 1-inch spaces between the jars during cooling. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

Pressure canners

Pressure canners for use in the home have been extensively redesigned in recent years. Models made before the 1970's were heavy-walled kettles with clamp-on or turn-on lids. They were fitted with a dial gauge, a vent port in the form of a petcock or counterweight, and a safety fuse. Modern pressure canners are lightweight, thin-walled kettles; most have turn-on lids. They have a jar rack, gasket, dial or weighted gauge, an automatic vent/cover lock, a vent port (steam vent) to be closed with a counterweight or weighted gauge, and a safety fuse.

Pressure does not destroy microorganisms, but high temperatures applied for an adequate period of time do kill microorganisms. The success of destroying all microorganisms capable of growing in canned food is based on the temperature obtained in pure steam, free of air, at sea level. At sea level, a canner operated at a gauge pressure of 10.5 lbs. provides an internal temperature of 240°F.

Parts of a Pressure Canner

Two serious errors in temperatures obtained in pressure canners occur because:

1. Internal canner temperatures are lower at higher altitudes. To correct this error, canners must be operated at the increased pressures specified in this publication (USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning) for appropriate altitude ranges.
2. Air trapped in a canner lowers the temperature obtained at 5, 10, or 15 pounds of pressure and results in under processing. The highest volume of air trapped in a canner occurs in processing raw-packed foods in dial-gauge canners. These canners do not vent air during processing. To be safe, all types of pressure canners must be vented 10 minutes before they are pressurized.

To vent a canner, leave the vent port uncovered on newer models or manually open petcocks on some older models. Heating the filled canner with its lid locked into place boils water and generates steam that escapes through the petcock or vent port. When steam first escapes, set a timer for 10 minutes. After venting 10 minutes, close the petcock, place the counterweight, or weighted gauge over the vent port to pressurize the canner.

Weighted-gauge models exhaust tiny amounts of air and steam each time their gauge rocks or jiggles during processing. They control pressure precisely and need neither watching during processing nor checking for accuracy. The sound of the weight rocking or jiggling indicates that the canner is maintaining the recommended pressure. The single disadvantage of weighted-gauge canners is that they cannot correct precisely for higher altitudes. At altitudes above 1,000 feet, they must be operated at canner pressures of 10 instead of 5, or 15 instead of 10, PSI.

Check dial gauges for accuracy before use each year. Gauges that read high cause under-processing and may result in unsafe food. Low readings cause over-processing. Pressure adjustments can be made if the gauge reads up to 2 pounds high or low. Replace gauges that differ by more than 2 pounds. Every pound of pressure is very important to the temperature needed inside the canner for producing safe food, so accurate gauges and adjustments are essential when a gauge reads higher than it should. If a gauge is reading lower than it should, adjustments may be made to avoid over-processing, but are not essential to safety. Gauges may be checked at many county Cooperative Extension offices or contact the pressure canner manufacturer for other options.

Lid safety fuses are thin metal inserts or rubber plugs designed to relieve excessive pressure from the canner. Do not pick at or scratch fuses while cleaning lids. Use only canners that have the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) approval to ensure their safety. Replacement gauges and other parts for canners are often available at stores offering canning equipment or from canner manufacturers. When ordering parts, give your canner model number and describe the parts needed.

Follow these steps for successful pressure canning:

1. Put 2 to 3 inches of hot water in the canner. Some specific products in this Guide require that you start with even more water in the canner. Always follow the directions with USDA processes for specific foods if they require more water added to the canner. Place filled jars on the rack, using a jar lifter. When using a jar lifter, make sure it is securely positioned below the neck of the jar (below the screw band of the lid). Keep the jar upright at all times. Tilting the jar could cause food to spill into the sealing are of the lid. Fasten canner lid securely.
2. Leave weight off vent port or open petcock. Heat at the highest setting until steam flows freely from the open petcock or vent port.
3. While maintaining the high heat setting, let the steam flow (exhaust) continuously for 10 minutes, and then place the weight on the vent port or close the petcock. The canner will pressurize during the next 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Start timing the process when the pressure reading on the dial gauge indicates that the recommended pressure has been reached, or when the weighted gauge begins to jiggle or rock as the canner manufacturer describes.
5. Regulate heat under the canner to maintain a steady pressure at or slightly above the correct gauge pressure. Quick and large pressure variations during processing may cause unnecessary liquid losses from jars. Follow the canner manufacturer’s directions for how a weighted gauge should indicate it is maintaining the desired pressure.

IMPORTANT: If at any time pressure goes below the recommended amount, bring the canner back to pressure and begin the timing of the process over, from the beginning (using the total original process time). This is important for the safety of the food.

6. When the timed process is completed, turn off the heat, remove the canner from heat if possible, and let the canner depressurize. Do not force-cool the canner. Forced cooling may result in unsafe food or food spoilage. Cooling the canner with cold running water or opening the vent port before the canner is fully depressurized will cause loss of liquid from jars and seal failures. Force-cooling may also warp the canner lid of older model canners, causing steam leaks. Depressurization of older models without dial gauges should be timed. Standard-size heavy-walled canners require about 30 minutes when loaded with pints and 45 minutes with quarts. Newer thin-walled canners cool more rapidly and are equipped with vent locks. These canners are depressurized when their vent lock piston drops to a normal position.
7. After the canner is depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes, unfasten the lid, and remove it carefully. Lift the lid away from you so that the steam does not burn your face.
8. Remove jars with a jar lifter, and place them on a towel, leaving at least 1-inch spaces between the jars during cooling. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

Cooling Jars and Testing Jar Seals

Cooling jars

When you remove hot jars from a canner, do not retighten their jar lids. Retightening of hot lids may cut through the gasket and cause seal failures. Cool the jars at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Jars may be cooled on racks or towels to minimize heat damage to counters. The food level and liquid volume of raw-packed jars will be noticeably lower after cooling. Air is exhausted during processing and food shrinks. If a jar loses excessive liquid during processing, do not open it to add more liquid. Check for sealed lids as described below.

Testing jar seals

After cooling jars for 12 to 24 hours, remove the screw bands and test seals with one of the following options:

Option 1. Press the middle of the lid with a finger or thumb. If the lid springs up when you release your finger, the lid is unsealed.

Option 2. Tap the lid with the bottom of a teaspoon. If it makes a dull sound, the lid is not sealed. If food is in contact with the underside of the lid, it will also cause a dull sound. If the jar is sealed correctly, it will make a ringing, high-pitched sound.

Option 3. Hold the jar at eye level and look across the lid. The lid should be concave (curved down slightly in the center). If center of the lid is either flat or bulging, it may not be sealed.

Reprocessing unsealed jars

If a lid fails to seal on a jar, remove the lid and check the jar-sealing surface for tiny nicks. If necessary, change the jar, add a new, properly prepared lid, and reprocess within 24 hours using the same processing time. Headspace in unsealed jars may be adjusted to 1-½ inches and jars could be frozen instead of reprocessed. Foods in single unsealed jars could be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within several days.

Storing Canned Foods

If lids are tightly vacuum-sealed on cooled jars, remove ring bands, wash the lid and jar to remove food residue without disturbing the sealed lid; then rinse and dry jars. There may be food or syrup residues you might not notice with your eye. These residues can support the growth of molds (which are airborne) outside the jar during storage. Wash and dry ring bands to protect them from corrosion for future use; be sure to protect from moisture where they are kept. It is recommended that jars be stored without ring bands to keep them dry as well as to allow for easier detection of any broken vacuum seals. However, if you choose to re-apply the ring bands, make sure all surfaces are clean and thoroughly dry first.

If jars are stacked in storage, be careful not to disturb vacuum seals. It would be a good idea to not stack jars too high directly on top of each other; one manufacturer recommends no more than two layers high. It would be best to provide support between the layers as a preventive measure against disturbing the seals on the lower jars. Jars could be placed in boxes to be stacked, or use some type of a firm solid material across the jars as a supportive layer in between them.

Label and date the jars and store them in a clean, cool, dark, dry place. For best quality, store between 50 and 70 °F. Also for best quality, can no more food than you will use within a year unless directions for a specific food provide other advice.

Do not store jars above 95° F or near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, in an uninsulated attic, or in direct sunlight. Under these conditions, food will lose quality in a few weeks or months and may spoil. Dampness may corrode metal lids, break seals, and allow recontamination and spoilage.

Accidental freezing of canned foods will not cause spoilage unless jars become unsealed and re-contaminated. However, freezing and thawing may soften food. If jars must be stored where they may freeze, wrap them in newspapers, place them in heavy cartons, and cover with more newspapers and blankets.

Identifying and Handling Spoiled Canned Food

Do not taste food from a jar with an unsealed lid or food that shows signs of spoilage. You can more easily detect some types of spoilage in jars stored without screw bands. Growth of spoilage bacteria and yeast produces gas that pressurizes the food, swells lids, and breaks jar seals. As each stored jar is selected for use, examine its lid for tightness and vacuum. Lids with concave centers have good seals.

Next, while holding the jar upright at eye level, rotate the jar and examine its outside surface for streaks of dried food originating at the top of the jar. Look at the contents for rising air bubbles and unnatural color.

While opening the jar, smell for unnatural odors and look for spurting liquid and cotton-like mold growth (white, blue, black, or green) on the top food surface and underside of lid.

Spoiled low-acid foods, including tomatoes, may exhibit different kinds of spoilage evidence or very little evidence. Therefore, all suspect containers of spoiled low-acid foods, including tomatoes, should be treated as having produced botulinum toxins, and handled carefully in one of two ways:

• If the swollen metal cans or suspect glass jars are still sealed, place them in a heavy garbage bag. Close and place the bag in a regular trash container or dispose in a nearby landfill.
• If the suspect cans or glass jars are unsealed, open, or leaking, they should be detoxified before disposal.

Detoxification process: Wear disposable rubber or heavy plastic gloves. Carefully place the suspect containers and lids on their sides in an 8-quart volume or larger stockpot, pan, or boiling-water canner. Wash your hands with gloves thoroughly. Carefully add water to the pot and avoid splashing the water. The water should completely cover the containers with a minimum of a 1-inch level above the containers. Place a lid on the pot and heat the water to boiling. Boil 30 minutes to ensure detoxifying the food and all container components. Cool and discard the containers, their lids, and food in the trash or dispose in a nearby landfill.

Cleaning up the area: Contact with botulinum toxin can be fatal whether it is ingested or enters through the skin. Take care to avoid contact with suspect foods or liquids. Wear rubber or heavy plastic gloves when handling suspect foods or cleaning up contaminated work surfaces and equipment. A fresh solution of 1 part unscented liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to 5 parts clean water should be used to treat work surfaces, equipment, or other items, including can openers and clothing, that may have come in contact with suspect foods or liquids. Spray or wet contaminated surfaces with the bleach solution and let stand for 30 minutes.

Wearing gloves, wipe up treated spills with paper towels being careful to minimize the spread of contamination. Dispose of these paper towels by placing them in a plastic bag before putting them in the trash. Next, apply the bleach solution to all surfaces and equipment again, and let stand for 30 minutes and rinse. As a last step, thoroughly wash all detoxified counters, containers, equipment, clothing, etc. Discard gloves when cleaning process is complete. (Note: Bleach is an irritant itself and should not be inhaled or allowed to be exposed to the skin.)

Temperatures for Food Preservation

Temperature(s)	Effect
240 to 250°F	Canning temperatures for low acid vegetables, meat, and poultry in a pressure canner.
212°F	Temperature water boils at sea level. Canning temperature for acid fruits, tomatoes, pickles, and jellied products in a boiling-water canner.
180 to 250°F	Canning temperatures are used to destroy most bacteria, yeasts, and molds in acid foods. Time required to kill these decreases as temperatures increase.
140 to 165°F	Warming temperatures prevent growth, but may allow survival of some microorganisms.
40 to 140°F	DANGER ZONE. Temperatures between 40°F - 140°F allow rapid growth of bacteria, yeast, and molds.
95°F	Maximum storage temperature for canned foods.
50 to 70°F	Best storage temperatures for canned and dried foods.
32°F	Temperature water freezes.
32 to 40°F	Cold temperatures permit slow growth of some bacteria, yeasts, and molds.
-10 to 32°F	Freezing temperatures stop growth of microorganisms, but may allow some to survive.
0 to -10°F	Best storage temperatures for frozen foods.

Water Boils at Lower Temperatures as Altitude Increases

Altitude (in feet) Altitude (in feet)	Temperature at which Water Boils
10,000	194°F
8,000	197°F
6,000	201°F
4,000	204°F
2,000	208°F
0 (Sea Level)	212°F

Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Canned Foods

Problem	Cause	Prevention
Loss of liquid from glass jars during processing. Do not open to replace liquid. (Not a sign of spoilage)	1. Lowering pressure in canner suddenly, after processing period.	1. Do not force pressure down by placing canner in a draft, opening the vent too soon, running cold water over the canner, etc. Allow pressure to drop to zero naturally; wait 10 minutes before opening after weight is removed from canner lid.
	2. Fluctuating pressure during processing in pressure canner.	2. Maintain a constant temperature throughout processing time.
	3. Failure to work out air bubbles from jars before processing.	3. Remove by running a plastic spatula or knife between food and jar before applying lids.
	4. Imperfect seal.	4. Use new flat lids for each jar and make sure there are no flaws. Pretreat the lids per manufacturer’s directions. Use ring bands in good condition – no rust, no dents, and no bends. Wipe sealing surface of jar clean after filling, before applying lid.
	5. Ring bands not tight enough.	5. Apply fingertip-tight over flat lid, but do not overtighten.
	6. Jars not covered with water in boiling water canner.	6. Jars should be covered with 1 to 2 inches of water throughout processing period.
	7. Starchy foods absorbed liquid.	7. Make sure dried beans are completely rehydrated prior to canning. Use hot pack for other starchy foods. Otherwise, none
	8. Food packed too tightly in jars cause boil over during processing.	8. Leave the appropriate headspace.
Imperfect seal (discard food unless the trouble was detected within a few hours)	1. Chips or cracks in jar sealing surface.	1. Examine carefully before applying lid by observing and carefully rubbing finger around the mouth of the jar.
	2. Failure to properly prepare flat lids.	2. Follow manufacturer's directions.
	3. Particles left on mouth of jar.	3. A clean, damp cloth should be used before applying flat lids to remove any seeds, seasonings, etc.
	4. Using bad ring bands.	4. Use ring bands in good form – no rust, dents, or bends.
	5. Ring bands not applied to correct tightness.	5. Apply fingertip-tight over flat lid, but do not overtighten.
	6. Inverting jars after processing or lifting jars by tops while hot.	6. Use jar lifter for removing jars from canner, placing below ring band. Leave jars in upright position.
	7. Fat on jar rim.	7. Trim fat from meats. Add no extra fat. Wipe jar rim well.
Product dark at top of jar (not necessarily a sign of spoilage)	1. Air left in the jars permits oxidation.	1. Remove air bubbles before sealing jars. Use recommended headspace.
	2. Insufficient amount of liquid or syrup to cover all food in jar.	2. Cover product completely with water or syrup.
	3. Food not processed after filling jars and applying lids.	3. Process recommended length of time.
Color changes that are undesirable	1. Contact with minerals such as iron, zinc or copper in cooking utensils or water.	1. Avoid these conditions by using carefully selected cooking utensils. Use soft water.
	2. Over processing.	2. Follow directions for processing times and operation of canners.
	3. Immature or over mature product.	3. Select fruits and vegetables at optimum stage of maturity.
	4. Exposure to light.	4. Store canned foods in a dark place.
	5. May be a distinct spoilage.	5. Process by recommended method and for recommended time.
	6. Natural and harmless substances in fruits and vegetables (pink or blue color in apples, cauliflower, peaches, or pears)	6. None.
Cloudy liquid (sometimes denotes spoilage)	1. Starch in vegetables.	1. Select products at desirable stage of maturity. Do not use over mature vegetables. If canning potatoes, use fresh boiling water to cover and not cooking liquid from preparing hot pack.
	2. Minerals in water.	2. Use soft water.
	3. Additives in salts.	3. Use pure refined salt (pickling or canning salt) without additives.
	4. Spoilage.	4. Prepare food as directed with published canning process. Process by recommended method and for recommended time.
	1. Starch in vegetables.	1. Select products at desirable stage of maturity.
	2. Minerals in water.	2. Use soft water.
	3. Additives in salts.	3. Use pure refined salt (pickling or canning salt) without additives.
	4. Yellow sediment in green vegetables or onions.	4. None (natural occurrence).
	5. White crystals in spinach.	5. None (natural occurrence).
	6. Spoilage.	6. Prepare food as directed with published canning process. Process by recommended method and for recommended time.
Spoilage	1. Poor selection of fruits and vegetables.	1. Select product of suitable variety and at proper stage of maturity. Can immediately after harvest if possible.
	2. Incorrect processing temperature used.	2. Low acid vegetables and meats must be pressure canned for safety. Most fruits and pickles can be canned in boiling water. Process jams and jellies in a boiling water canner after filling jars.
	3. Incorrect process time.	3. Follow our research-based recommendations for canning foods. Follow directions for operation of canners and timing of processes. Do not overfill jars.
	4. Incorrect pressure.	4. Dial gauges should be checked every year for accuracy. Follow directions for operation of canners.
	5. Imperfect seal on jar.	5. Check jars and lids for defects before using. Wipe jar rim before closing. Do not overfill jars.
Floating (especially some fruits)	1. Fruit is lighter than sugar syrups.	1. Use firm, ripe fruit. Heat before packing. Use a light to medium syrup instead of heavy syrup.
	2. Air trapped in food pieces.	2. Use hot packs.
	3. Improper packing.	3. Pack fruit as closely as possible without crushing it. Release trapped air bubbles and readjust liquid level before applying lids. Make sure liquid covers food pieces completely.

Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Canned Fruit Juices

Problem	Cause	Prevention
Fermentation or Spoilage	1. Failure to process adequately.	1. Filled jars of juices should be processed in a boiling water canner long enough to destroy spoilage organisms.
	2. Imperfect seal.	2. Use recommended canning methods and processing times. Use new flat lids for each jar and make sure there are no flaws. Pretreat the lids per manufacturer’s directions. Use ring bands in good condition – no rust, no dents, and no bends. Wipe sealing surface of jar clean after filling, before applying lid. Filled jars should be processed in a boiling water canner long enough so a vacuum seal will form after cooling the jars.
	3. Air left in jars.	3. Proper application of two-piece canning lids and boiling water processing will exclude air from jars before the lid seals.
Cloudy sediment in bottom of jar	1. Solids in juice settle.	1. Minimize by straining juice before canning. Canned juice may be strained and made into jelly. Shake juices if used as a beverage.
	2. See spoilage, above.
Separation of tomato juice	1. Enzymatic action after cutting of raw tomatoes.	1. Heat tomatoes quickly to a simmering temperature immediately after they have been cut. To prevent juice from separating, quickly cut about 1 pound of fruit into quarters and put directly into saucepan. Heat immediately to boiling while crushing. Continue to slowly add and crush freshly cut tomato quarters to the boiling mixture. Make sure the mixture boils constantly and vigorously while you add the remaining tomatoes.
Poor flavor	1. Immature, overripe, or inferior fruit used.	1. Use only good quality, firm, ripe fruit or tomatoes for making juice.
	2. Use of too much water for extracting fruit juice.	2. Use only amount of water called for in directions. No water is added to tomatoes.
	3. Improper storage.	3. Stores jars in cool, dark, and dry storage area.

References:

Adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, NIFA-USDA (Revised 2015). Page reviewed February 2, 2017.

This document was extracted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA (Revised 2015).
Adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA (Revised 2015), Guide 1, pp. 1-25 to 1-27, and "So Easy to Preserve", 6th ed., p. 34.

This document was adapted from "So Easy to Preserve", 6th ed. 2014. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Georgia, Athens. Revised by Elizabeth L. Andress. Ph.D. and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D., Extension Foods Specialists.

Classroom Preparation Assignment \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Condiments and Canning

1. Explain how condiments are the building blocks of the Garde Manger?
2. Give four examples of these building blocks.
3. The text describes condiments as “boldly flavored supporting actors for the plate. Describe two ways they are used
4. Give three examples of relishes from the text
5. Swedish mustard sauce goes especially well with?
6. Are compotes always sweet?
7. Chutney’s are India’s gift to the culinary world where they primarily eat a _____________ based diet.
8. The two pickles we will concern ourselves with in the text are ________and ________.
9. Which part of the jar lids must be discarded after the contents are used?
10. Why do we boil the jars when canning?