When preparing pickled and salted foods for the winter, they strive to protect them from spoilage. After all, labor is often wasted; jars of cucumbers, tomatoes, and compotes become cloudy and explode. Therefore, you need to pay attention to how to sterilize jars with blanks correctly.
Is it possible to sterilize jars with blanks?
For long-term preservation of winter preparations, sterilization is necessary. This term means heating to boiling point. Then the complete destruction of pathogenic microorganisms or suppression of their active activity occurs.The effect of sterilization depends on the acidity of the product. Thus, tomatoes have a high acid content, so canned food with them is pasteurized without spending a lot of time.
Salads with zucchini will have to be brought to a temperature of 100 degrees or higher for a long time. Otherwise, they may develop botulinus bacteria, which is highly toxic to the human body. And the low acidity of zucchini does not suppress the action of bacteria.
The mode of heat treatment of the workpieces depends on the consistency of the winter snack. Liquid foods warm up faster. The volume of the container also affects the processing procedure. Half-liter jars of caviar are kept for 10 minutes, and 3-liter jars for up to 30 minutes.
Why is this necessary?
The purpose of sterilization is to prevent spoilage of vegetable products and extend the period of their consumption. Pasteurization methods must be used for those products that contain liquid. After all, dried mushrooms are not subject to this procedure, since they do not contain an environment for the development of mold. Carriers of toxins cannot develop at low temperatures. Garden fruits placed in the freezer for the winter will not spoil.
After exposure to high temperatures, jars with vegetables must be hermetically sealed with metal lids.
You can pour a layer of hot animal fat or butter on top. It will not let germs inside the container, so they tie the neck of the jar with parchment paper or cloth on top.
Those canned foods that are covered with plastic lids do not require pasteurization.
Sterilization methods
Before you start preparing vegetables for the winter, you should choose a sterilization method and prepare for it. The process will be successful if:
- the container will be without cracks or chips on the neck;
- select high-quality lids;
- Rinse the jars with water and baking soda or dry mustard before adding the salad.
There are certain rules for each method that cannot be violated. If the jars with preparations are kept for less than the allotted time, the microorganisms will begin their activity after the marinade or sauce has cooled.
In boiling water
One of the most common and simple methods requires little effort and time. It is carried out by sterilizing jars with preparations in a pan of boiling water. Select a container that will hold several jars of winter salads. The height of the pan should be such that the water covers the glass container up to the shoulders.
The procedure is carried out:
- placing a stand made of wood or metal or a piece of thick fabric on the bottom of the pan;
- putting out the jars covered with lids on top;
- pouring warm water;
- heating water to a boil.
After the water has boiled, leave it for 10 minutes for half-liter jars, 15 minutes for liter jars, 25-30 for 2 and 3 liter jars.
Some products require temperatures above 100 degrees. This can be achieved by adding salt to the water. So a 48% saline solution will help water boil at 110 degrees.
In the oven
It is convenient to sterilize canned vegetables in the oven. There, the containers with the workpieces are gradually heated.
Place jars with hot salads and caviar on a wire rack in a warm oven. First set the temperature to 100 degrees, then increase to 120.
The time required for the procedure is the same as in boiling water. The larger the container, the longer. For better preservation, hot pieces are pulled out and immediately rolled up. To cool down, wrap it in a woolen blanket.
Microwave
This method is also often used.But there is one caveat: you cannot put iron lids on top of the jars. This will cause the microwave to malfunction. You can place the container with the contents open, and disinfect the lids separately in boiling water.
Place jars full of vegetable products throughout the entire oven area. You need to turn it on at full power so that the salads inside the container boil. They are kept for 10 to 15 minutes, because large containers will not fit into the microwave. The device is suitable for sterilizing small jars.
The problem may be that the contents will spill out of the container if it is filled to the brim. This must be taken into account when carrying out sterilization in a microwave oven.
Pasteurization
The difference between pasteurization and other methods is that before seaming, containers with winter preparations are heated to a temperature of 98-99 degrees. After all, boiling foods lose vitamins beneficial to the body. Therefore, during pasteurization, the loss of vitamins is minimal, and the color and taste of the product does not change. Moreover, after heat treatment, the vegetables will be ready for consumption.
At home, pasteurization must be carried out in a water bath. You will need a tank or wide pan for the process. Many people use a pressure cooker for pasteurization. You need to put a lid with holes or several layers of cloth in the pan.
Place jars filled with vegetable mixtures so that they are at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from each other and the metal walls of the tank.
The pasteurization procedure is quick. The water is heated by measuring the temperature with a special thermometer. Then stop heating, maintaining the temperature for 10-25 minutes depending on the volume of the container.
After the procedure, the blanks are removed and sealed with lids.Then you need to roll the cans on the table so that they cool faster.
When a preservation defect is detected, the product in the container can be pasteurized a second time. But the processing time will take 5 minutes less.
If the defect is detected quickly, then treat the rubber gasket with alcohol. And the lid itself is disinfected with burning alcohol. Then they quickly twist it, checking its tightness.
It is recommended to cool pasteurized canned food in a pan of hot water, gradually adding cold water. With this method, the berries and fruits will not soften and will retain their integrity.
Is it possible to sterilize already sealed jars?
It is recommended to sterilize and pasteurize closed jars that use glass lids with clips to seal them. First, install a rubber seal on the neck, a lid on top and clamp it with a special device. Before tightening, make sure that the seal does not move. You can use 2 clamps, placing them crosswise.
If ordinary metal lids are used to seal winter canned food using a seaming machine, then such jars are not closed before sterilization. Seaming is carried out after the product has been pasteurized or sterilized.
