When to use a Recipe

The short answer is always. You will be able to tinker with recipes once you get comfortable with time and temperature as well as what ingredients are strictly needed, but if you are just starting, be sure to stick with a tested recipe. Also, if you are trying to can something for the first time, it is suggested that you use a recipe in order to make sure the ingredients reach the proper temperature and pressure to be safe in the can.

How To Use A Recipe

Using a recipe is as easy as reading a book. Just like baking is a matter of exact measurements, canning is also an exact science of food making. It is important to make sure canned foods are safe, and the only way to do that with some types of food are to follow the directions for the recipe exactly. Keeping the foods in the canner at the right temperature and time ensure the lack of bacteria and the less chance for the food spoiling.

Be sure to look at all of the ingredients needed before you start the canning process because the last thing you want to do is have to run to the store because you forgot something while you are trying to can.

Canning is a lot of fun and a great way to store your hard work for a later time. Recipes are there to make the process easier and to take some of the guesswork out of how to bottle your goodness safely and with a lot of flavor. If you are just starting out or trying something new, stick with the recipe on the first go-round because the last thing you would want is a spoiled jar of hard work.

If you are looking for actual canning recipes, this article will not give them to you. This is an article about the importance of using canning recipes. There are so many things that cause a canned food to spoil that it is important, until you know the science behind canning each type of food, to have a recipe to help guide you through the safe storing process.

Why Recipes Are Needed

When canning items, it is important to keep them safely stored. This could mean adding citric acid to some jars while adding simple syrup to others. The best way to know which is which, is to have a recipe for the item you want to can. Just like you might look to a recipe for how to make the best Chicken Parmesan in the world, a recipe for canning does the same thing.

Canning recipes can give you different flavors to try out and also develop over time. The best way to pick out a recipe is to try it out. Cook a small batch with the recipe and see if it would be something that you would eat as a meal. It is also important to pick out a recipe that has been tested at your altitude. If you are uncertain about what a recipe for your altitude looks like, check out your state extension service for verification.

Cooking your meat before canning is a necessity. Again, using a recipe for this will help out until you get comfortable with the meat canning process. Then you can play around with ingredients and how to prepare the meat in the first place.

Process

Meat can be canned without being cooked first. It is a technique called cold packing. This is where the uncooked meat is stored in a jar and covered with broth or water to allow the meat to cook evenly within the jar as it is heating up.

Especially if you plan on canning fish, you need to follow the recipe for canning. Paying close attention to the time and pressure needed to can each type of meat is extremely important. It is also important to see how to pack the meats. For instance, fish should be cut so it will fit long-ways, with no scales, head, tales or any other body parts. Of course as with everything, the higher quality food you start out with, the higher quality it ill be once it is finished.

Conclusion

Canning meat is a great way to keep them for winter supplies. Make sure you have everything you need, including a tested recipe so you can have the best possible outcome when canning you meats. Keep your meat either in strips or small cubes so you have the highest quality canned meats around without turning them into mush. Finally, be sure to keep the jars stored in a cool, dry place to prevent loss of seal or spoiling.

Canning meats can be a difficult task because there are so many different issues to take into consideration. Just as with cooking meats there is always a possibility for undercooked meats to contain bacteria and other harmful issues. This makes following a recipe that much more important when canning meat.

Canners

Meat is a low acid food, which means that it always needs to be canned using a pressure canner. This will make sure the temperature is high enough to kill all bacteria, spores and toxins that are naturally prevalent in low acid foods. A weighted gauge pressure canner is your best bet because it allows for more accurate monitoring of the internal temperatures, ensuring the meat is canned with the least possibility for spoilage.

Preparation

Cutting the meat across the grain, into strips, is the best way to make sure the meat stays together during the canning process. Remember, there will be high pressures and high temperatures and the last thing you want is your canned meat turning in to a pile of mush when it comes time to break the seal.

You can also cut the meat into 1 inch cubes if you plan on using it in a stew at a later date. It helps to remove as much fat and gristle as possible because those two items can cause the meat to taste extremely “gamey” or prevent the proper seal on the jars.

Canning Mechanism

Depending on what you are planning to can, you will need either a pressure canner or a boiling water bath. Be sure you know what type of canning device you will need to make your canning experience as safe as possible. Knowing which foods require canning at lower temperatures versus higher temperatures will give you direction on which type of canner to use.

Other Tools

There are some other tools that you will need to get into canning. These include a canning rack to keep the cans off of the bottom of the canner, a funnel to get the ingredients into the jar, a jar lifter to pick up the hot jar and even a jar wrench to remove the hot ring from the jar.

Some of the tools you need can be found already in your kitchen. These tools are essential, and include a vegetable brush, cutting board, peeler, sauce pan, timer, thermometer, mixing bowl, measuring spoons and just about everything else you use in the day to day cooking world. A scale is also helpful to have because some of the recipes call for weights of items instead of unit measuring. If you do not wish to drop a bunch of money on a scale, and happen to have a baby scale lying around, that will be just as useful. The big size and accurate weight are a perfect fit in canning.

Canning is easy, but it does take some preparation to make sure you have everything you need to save you a trip in the middle of canning your food. Many of the materials you will need, you probably already have at home, but the most important ones will most likely need to be purchased before you begin. It is important to remember to pay attention to the recipes to make sure you gather the right materials. Go gather what you need and start canning today.