Amelia Jeanroy - Canning & Preserving For Dummies

Saucepans: Saucepans range in size from 1 to 3 quarts. They have a long handle on one side of the pan and usually come with a fitted lid.

Mixing bowls: Keep a variety of mixing bowl sizes in your kitchen. Look for sets in graduated sizes that stack inside each other for easy storage. Bowls made from glass and stainless steel are the most durable. Purchase mixing bowls with flat, not curved, bases. They won’t slide all over your kitchen counter while you work. When mixing vigorously, place a damp dishtowel under the bowl. This prevents the filled bowl from sliding.

Colander: Colanders aren’t just for draining pasta. They’re perfect for washing and draining fruits and vegetables. Simply fill your colander with food and immerse it in a sink full of water. Remove the colander from the water and let your food drain while you move on to other tasks.

Wire basket: A collapsible wire or mesh basket with a lifting handle makes blanching a breeze. (Blanching helps stop the enzyme action in the food, so it stays fresher longer.) Place your filled basket of food into your pot of boiling water. When the blanching time is up, lift the food-filled basket out of the boiling water and then place it into ice water to stop the blanching process.

All the items in this list are indispensable for your canning chores. They all save you loads of time.

Food processor: Purchase the best-quality food processor you can afford. It should be heavy and sturdy so that it doesn’t bounce around on your kitchen counter as it’s processing away. Figure 2-5 shows one example of a food processor. FIGURE 2-5:A food processor.

Food mill: A food mill (see Figure 2-6) purées fruits and vegetables as it removes the peel and seeds. You accomplish this by manually cranking the blade, which forces the pulp through the mill. Look for a food mill that rests on the edge of your bowl or pot, which enables you to use one hand to stabilize the mill while you crank the blade with your other hand. FIGURE 2-6:A food mill.

Blender: A blender purées fruits and vegetables in a hurry, but you need to remove the peel and seeds first. Be cautious of incorporating too much air into your food with a blender, because trapped air can also trap bacteria.

Vacuum-sealing machines: A vacuum sealer is the most efficient appliance around for removing air from food-storage bags. Use vacuum sealers for packaging dried foods or for storing raw or cooked foods in the freezer. Although it takes up room and can be costly, you’ll realize its full value after you own one. New on the market are hand-held vacuum sealers. They can provide a less-expensive alternative to purchasing a counter-top model.

The following items aren’t absolutely mandatory, but they’re certainly nice to have (check out Figure 2-7 for a visual). If you don’t already have these items in your kitchen, add them as you find the need for them. They don’t take up a lot of room, and you’ll find yourself constantly reaching for them when you can.

Vegetable peeler: Use this for peeling carrots, potatoes, and apples.

Potato masher: This makes quick work of smashing your cooked fruits or vegetables.

Lemon juicer: This tool works on any citrus fruit and allows you to extract the juice in a hurry. Just cut your fruit in half, insert the juicer point into the fruit, and press away. Measure your juice and keep seeds and pulp out at the same time by squeezing your fruit into a mesh strainer resting on the edge of a measuring cup.

Melon baller: With a melon baller, you can easily remove the seeds from a halved cucumber without having the seeds end up all over your kitchen. FIGURE 2-7:Other handy but nonessential items.

Corer: This tool removes apple cores without damaging the fruit. This is a real timesaver when you’re handling pounds of apples.

Cherry/olive pitter: There’s nothing better for removing cherry and olive pits. Purchase the size of pitter that holds your fruit size.

The equipment in this section is especially designed for canning, which means you’ll use it during canning season but not much otherwise. Make sure you store these items in a safe, clean location. And be sure to look over every piece each time you use it to check for wear and tear.

The kind of food you’ll be canning determines the type of vessel you’ll be using: a water-bath canner or a pressure canner. Refer to Chapters 4and 9, respectively, for detailed information on using each of these vessels.

Water-bath canner: A water-bath canner, also referred to as a boiling-water canner, is a kettle used for processing high-acid foods (primarily fruits, jams, jellies, condiments, and pickled foods). The canner consists of a large enamelware or stainless-steel pot with a tight-fitting lid and a jar rack. Check out Chapter 4for an illustration of a water-bath canner and instructions on how to use one.

Pressure canner: A pressure canner, sometimes referred to as a steam-pressure canner, is used for canning low-acid foods (primarily vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry) in an airtight container at a specific pressure. A weighted gauge or a dial gauge measures steam pressure in the canner. This ensures that the high temperature of 240 degrees is attained to safely process your food. Pressure canners and how to use them are described (and illustrated) in Chapter 9.

These tools are must-haves for water-bath or pressure canning. Safety in the kitchen is a number-one priority, and the right tools for handling hot, filled jars and other large canning equipment are indispensable.

A jar lifter is one tool you don’t want to be without. It’s the best tool available for transferring hot canning jars into and out of your canning kettle or pressure canner. This odd-looking, rubberized, tonglike item (check out Figure 2-8) grabs the jar around the neck (the area just below the threaded portion at the top of the jar) without disturbing the screw band.

FIGURE 2-8:Jar lifters.

A foam skimmer, shown in Figure 2-9, makes removing foam from the top of hot jelly, jam, or marmalade easy while leaving any pieces of fruit or rind in the hot liquid. (The openings in slotted spoons are too large to achieve quick and efficient foam removal.)

FIGURE 2-9:A foam skimmer.

Over the years, many types of jars with many varieties of seals have been used for home-canning. The most commonly used jars bear the names of Ball and Kerr and are commonly referred to as Mason jars. They use a two-piece cap to produce a vacuum seal in the jar after heat processing.

To ensure safe home-canning, use only jars that are approved for home-canning and made from tempered glass. Tempering is a treatment process for glass that allows the jars to withstand the high heat (212 degrees) of a water-bath canner, as well as the high temperature (240 degrees) of a pressure canner, without breaking.