Sterilization of cans in a gas stove oven

Summer and the beginning of autumn is a season of mass collection of berries, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms. With the arrival of late autumn and winter, the period of abundance ends.

On the shelves of supermarkets there is a huge selection of pickles, pickles, pickled products, jams. Those who care about their health prefer to prepare and preserve their products on their own, knowing that it is tasty, healthy and safe. For many housewives, harvesting is an obligatory part in the autumn-summer season. And they do it according to different recipes, always trying something new. However, not everyone wants to stand at the stove for a long time during the sterilization process.

Sterilization of cans

The process of harvesting vegetables and fruits is simple, even a young and inexperienced housewife will cope with it. But there are a number of principles of home canning that must be strictly observed:

1. thorough sorting and processing of raw materials for canning;
2. preliminary preparation of the necessary equipment;
3. selection, washing and sterilization of containers.
4. strict adherence to the recipe.

Attention! The slightest non-compliance with the technology can cause damage to canned food and the development of microorganisms!

Most often, glass jars with volumes of 0.5 l, 0.7 l, 1.0 l, 2.0 l, 3.0 l are used in home-made blanks.

The industry produces special tin lids equipped with narrow rubber rings for corking glass containers. The diameter of the lids strictly corresponds to the diameter of the neck and most often is 83 mm. To close such containers are manual seaming machines. The canning process in this case is time consuming and lengthy.

In recent years, glass vessels with screw caps have been especially popular with housewives, which greatly facilitate the conservation process.

Most foods are perishable, that is, subject to spoilage caused by a variety of microorganisms. All microbes (bacteria, yeast, molds) eat the same foods as humans. In the process of life, they emit gases, acids, toxins, which contributes to the decomposition of products.

To protect home pickles from the penetration of microbes into them, there are a number of methods for creating adverse conditions for their life:

• drying;
• cooking;
• freezing;
• pickling, pickling, soaking, salting (creating a bitter, sour, sweet, salty environment for inhibiting bacteria).

It should be noted that these methods do not guarantee disposal of all microbes, since among them there are species that are very resistant to adverse conditions.

The most reliable way to get rid of pathogenic bacteria and their spores is sterilization - prolonged heating of products or equipment to higher (115 - 125 degrees and above) temperatures.

Microorganisms from the surface of untreated cans or lids can get on the products and cause them to spoil.

Important! Glass containers must be sterilized immediately before capping.

There are several ways to sterilize cans:

1. boiling in a large pan;
2. steaming (including in a double boiler and slow cooker);
3. use of a microwave;
4. sterilization in the dishwasher;
5. use of an oven (gas and electric).

What is the principle of

Regardless of the method chosen, cans are sterilized according to certain principles:

1. the container should be carefully checked for cracks and chips;
2. check whether the covers are suitable;
3. the prepared containers are soaked in soapy water so that the dirt and product residues are “acidified”;
4. banks are washed with baking soda in running water;
5. the container is placed on a towel upside down so that the glass is excess moisture.

Attention! Lids must be washed and sterilized, regardless of whether they are new or have already been used.

During sterilization, it is not recommended to remove the rubber ring from the covers, since it will be difficult to insert it hot. Heat treatment of the lids in the oven is not recommended, as the gum dries and the lid is deformed. The best option is to lower the lids in boiling water for several minutes before capping the cans.

Despite the many methods of heat treatment of glass containers, invented over many years, the most popular and convenient is sterilization in the oven.

The advantages of this method:

• you can create a temperature above 100 degrees, which will get rid of all types of microbes and their spores;
• the ability to sterilize several cans at the same time, including 3-liter;
• cleanliness, lack of steam and high humidity;
• sufficient safety and preservation of cans;
• the sterilization process is short and laborious;
• time is not wasted draining water and drying cans.

What is needed for this

In order to sterilize the cans in the oven, no special tools, equipment or skills are required. It is enough to follow the general rules for preparing glass containers for sterilization, do not forget about safety measures and have hand mitts on hand.

Training

How to properly prepare the oven for sterilizing cans:

• Wash the inside of the oven before use so that there are no smells of previously cooked food;
• remove all foreign objects, leaving only the grate;
• place the grate to such a height that the jar freely becomes and is removed;
• the oven should not be hot, it should be heated gradually so that the vessels do not burst;
• have gloves on hand to avoid burns.

Process sequence time

• The process of sterilizing cans in gas and electric ovens is absolutely identical:
• prepare the container - check whether the covers are suitable for the necks, for cracks and chips;
• rinse cans in soapy water, then soda, rinse with running water;
• put on a paper towel to drain excess water;
• place the containers in the oven so that they do not touch each other;
• first turn on the oven to a low fire, so that the heating occurs gradually;
• after 3-4 minutes, increase the temperature to 125-130 degrees;
• after the sterilization time has passed, turn off the oven and slightly open;
• remove the suspended jars from the oven, putting on gloves, gloves and put on a dry surface.

Without waiting for complete cooling, fill containers with products and continue the preservation process according to the recipe.

Time required to sterilize glass containers of various capacities:

• 0.5 l - 10 min;
• 0.7 L - 12 min;
• 1.0 l - 15 min;
• 2.0 L - 20 min;
• 3.0 L - 25 min.

The given time values ​​are approximate and depend on various factors, for example, on the number of cans, on the technical characteristics of the oven, etc. Each housewife will calculate them for herself experimentally.

The oldest and most traditional way is to sterilize cans on the stove. To do this, take a large pan. Water is poured into it, prepared and washed cans and lids are placed. Water gradually heats up and boils. Sterilization time is counted from the moment of boiling.

Special forceps cans are taken out of boiling water and placed upside down on a cotton towel. After draining the water and drying the cans, they are filled with harvested products.

The most common and familiar method for our grandmothers and mothers is the method of processing containers with steam. A special device with an opening of a slightly larger diameter than the neck of a can is put on a pot or kettle. The can becomes a bottom up in the hole. Water in a saucepan boils, steam rising, sterilizes the container. As a result, there are steam clubs all over the house, foggy windows and streams flowing from the walls.

Sterilization of glass jars in the oven and on the stove are the two most common ways of processing containers for home canning. Common in these two processes is only the initial preparatory stage. Otherwise, they have nothing in common:

• in the oven, sterilization is faster than on the stove due to the higher temperature;
• there is no need to wait until the cans from the oven drain and dry, unlike sterilization in water and steam;
• much more likely to get burns from water or steam than from dry cans from the oven;
• the process of processing glass containers in the oven is more comfortable, as this does not accumulate fumes and does not increase humidity in the room.

Life does not stand still, and our mistresses are savvy people, so they came up with many life hacks that greatly facilitated the process of processing containers before canning products. More recently, no one would have guessed to sterilize cans in a microwave, multicooker or dishwasher.

Recently, the process of evacuation of products - canning by vacuum - is becoming more widespread. We know that life without oxygen is impossible. If you pump out air, then microorganisms will lose the opportunity to live and multiply, which will allow for a long time to maintain the freshness of the products. But, even in this case, there is no escape from washing and sterilizing cans.

Harvest tasty and healthy products for the future and be healthy!