In the summer, many housewives make preparations for the winter, cook jams, compotes, pickle cucumbers and tomatoes, cover various salads and marinades. Especially a lot of home canned food is made by those who have a garden and need to process the crop.
To preserve the canned food for a long time, they use a method such as sterilization of cans. Let's consider how this process should proceed, and when it is really necessary.
Sterilizing empty cans is necessary if they are packed with hot billets - preserves, lecho, some types of salads. In this case, a boiling product is poured into a hot jar, after which the canned food is either immediately sealed or sterilized again.
If vegetables or fruits are placed in the jar in the raw form, then sterilizing empty dishes is not necessary, because those products that will be placed in the jar are by no means sterile. In this case, the sterilization of cans is carried out after filling them.
In any case, the dishes for preservation should be very thoroughly washed. It used to be that you only need to use soda for washing, but today it’s easier to use the usual dishwashing liquid, which, for sure, is in every kitchen. The only condition is that when using soap, the cans should be very thoroughly washed with clean water.
How can sterilize empty cans? There are several methods. The first is steaming. To do this, you can use a regular kettle (not electric) or a pan. You will also need an additional device - a wooden or plastic plate, in which a hole is cut that is suitable in size to the neck of the can. Such an overlay is placed on top of a pot of boiling water, then a can is installed in the hole with the bottom up. The sterilization process lasts 10-15 minutes.
Sterilization of cans can also be carried out in the microwave. To do this, a small amount of water (about two tablespoons) is poured into the dishes, after which the jar is placed in the microwave. Sterilize at full power for 10-15 minutes. It is important that all water is evaporated, and water vapor, rising up, disinfected the jar.
Another convenient option is to sterilize cans in the oven. In this case, the jars should be washed and dried. They are placed on the grill with the bottom up so that they do not touch each other and do not touch the walls of the oven. After that, the oven temperature regulator is put at 100-120 degrees and cans are kept at this temperature for at least 15 minutes.
In addition to the cans, it is necessary to sterilize the lids, the easiest way is to boil them in water.
And how to sterilize banks that are already filled with products? To do this, you need to have a high pan in the farm, in which the banks are placed on a coat hanger. At the bottom of this pan you need to put a wooden or plastic lattice, a tissue napkin or, at worst, a newspaper folded several times.
If the products are placed in a jar in a cold form, then the water in the pan-sterilizer should also be cold. In the event that the canned food is packaged hot, then the water for sterilization must be preheated.
The time it takes to sterilize the cans depends on the volume of the can and the type of canned food. Those blanks in which there are few preservative components (vinegar, salt, sugar) need to be kept in boiling water longer.
Some canned foods cannot be sterilized, as the contents of the can can be digested. In this case, pasteurization is used - keeping canned food in water heated to a temperature of 85-90 degrees.
And one more important point. If canned food is supposed to be sterilized, then the level of food and liquid in the jars should be two centimeters below the neck. In the same case, if the product is packaged in boiling form and immediately corked without subsequent sterilization, then you need to pour the liquid “all the way”, it is even possible to slightly overflow it, since it is important that the jar remains as possible less air.