AboutChef Todd Mohr Expertise I'd be glad to answer your questions about how basic cooking methods apply equally to cooking for two in your home, or 1000 for an event.
Experience Executive Chef at a large hospital, feeding 3000 people three times daily over 8 different menus. Chef at The National Security Agency in Washington, DC, part of a team feeding 15,000 people twice daily.
Publications I am a featured author at Ezine Articles (ezinearticles.com, ideamarketers.com, articlecity.com, buzzle.com, selfgrowth.net)
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Arts, Long Island University
Associate of Arts, Baltimore International Culinary College
Past/Present Clients My catering company boasts many of the nations largest companies as clients over the past 8 years.
Question question, i am new at canning and i decided on a whim to can some extra spaghetti sauce i made. i boiled the jars and the sauce was simmering. i added the sauce to the jars put the flat lid and the ring on. turned them upside down for 15 min. and right side up. left them alone till they cooled , all the lids sealed. none are flexible.
are they safe since afterwards someone told me i should have put them back in the pot with the boiling water?
Answer Denise-
You've got it right, except for the part about turning the jars upside down.
The two-part canning jar is meant to let air in the product evaporate during boiling. If you put the jar upside down, the air cannot escape, and will effect the vacuum created when the jars cool.
You should only jar highly acidic products in a boiling water canner. High acid products are things like tomato sauce, salsa, pickles in a vinegar brine, etc. These items are safe to can this way, because the boiling water along with the acid inhibits bacterial growth.
However, if you're trying to can protein products like chicken soup or stew, you must use a pressure canner to assure the safety of the resulting product. Pressure canners raise the temperature inside the jars to a safe level.
I'm about to release two home canning videos in the next two days. Search YouTube for ChefToddMohr and you can see the entire procedure in two episodes.
Thank you for your question. Canning is a great way to preserve the nutrition and flavor of fresh foods, but can also be potentially dangerous if not handled correctly.
