I did some canning last night and wondered for the umpteenth time whether I
should get a silicone oven mitt. I always find removing from the HWB and
draining the empty jars to be awkward. I'm thinking that with one of those
long silicone oven mitts I could just use my hand to get the jars and drain
them. Also I guess to lower the filled jars in the BWB, although the jar
lifter seems to work fine then.

Anyone here have a silicone oven mitt and use it for canning?

Anny

On Wed, 12 Apr 2006, Anny Middon wrote:
> I did some canning last night and wondered for the umpteenth time whether I
> should get a silicone oven mitt. I always find removing from the HWB and
> draining the empty jars to be awkward. I'm thinking that with one of those
> long silicone oven mitts I could just use my hand to get the jars and drain
> them. Also I guess to lower the filled jars in the BWB, although the jar
> lifter seems to work fine then.
>
> Anyone here have a silicone oven mitt and use it for canning?

I use one for taking the jars out of the HWB. You have to be quick about
it...it's still pretty hot. I have to let it cool off a bit before I go
in for the next jar.

Jeneen

Anny Middon wrote:
> I did some canning last night and wondered for the umpteenth time whether I
> should get a silicone oven mitt. I always find removing from the HWB and
> draining the empty jars to be awkward. I'm thinking that with one of those
> long silicone oven mitts I could just use my hand to get the jars and drain
> them. Also I guess to lower the filled jars in the BWB, although the jar
> lifter seems to work fine then.
>
> Anyone here have a silicone oven mitt and use it for canning?
>
> Anny
>
>
Hi Anny. Are you sterilizing the jars in the BWB? For most BWB canning
you only need hot, clean jars, not sterilized, to put your product in.
The BWB time will make sure that the contents and jars are sufficiently
heated to destroy spoilage organisms.
Ellen

ellen wickberg wrote:
> Anny Middon wrote:
> > I did some canning last night and wondered for the umpteenth time whether I
> > should get a silicone oven mitt. I always find removing from the HWB and
> > draining the empty jars to be awkward. I'm thinking that with one of those
> > long silicone oven mitts I could just use my hand to get the jars and drain
> > them. Also I guess to lower the filled jars in the BWB, although the jar
> > lifter seems to work fine then.
> >
> > Anyone here have a silicone oven mitt and use it for canning?
> >
> > Anny
> >
> >
> Hi Anny. Are you sterilizing the jars in the BWB? For most BWB canning
> you only need hot, clean jars, not sterilized, to put your product in.
> The BWB time will make sure that the contents and jars are sufficiently
> heated to destroy spoilage organisms.
> Ellen

A boiling water bath will not guarantee sterility.

The three most common ways of sterilizing (in the true microbiological
sense)
an item are :-

1. Ionizing radiation - not really practical unless you happen to have
a cobalt60 source or a nuclear reactor in the garden shed.

2. Autoclaving the material at 121C (15psi) for around 20 minutes, you
could use a pressure cooker for this but you have to start timing once
the cooker has reached temperature.

3. Dry heat at 160C for 90 minutes (30 minute to allow the material to
reach temperature and 60 minutes exposure time). This is easily done in
a home kitchen, either cover the mouths of the jars with aluminium foil
or place the mouth down on a baking tray and cook them in the oven.

I usually use the latter method leaving the jars in the turned off oven
untill my jams/pickles etc are ready to bottle and process.

Re autoclaveing - to sterilize a food product doesn't the product need
to achieve 121C, rather than just be in heat for 20 min -qv a joint of
beef - would be raw on the inside

"ellen wickberg" > wrote in message
news:Sge%f.6481$P01.495@pd7tw3no...

> Hi Anny. Are you sterilizing the jars in the BWB? For most BWB canning
> you only need hot, clean jars, not sterilized, to put your product in. The
> BWB time will make sure that the contents and jars are sufficiently heated
> to destroy spoilage organisms.
> Ellen

Most of my references seem to suggest that the jars be hot. I don't think
this is to sterilize them per se but to ensure they don't crack when the hot
jam hits them.

Since I got the pot on to boil for the jars after they're filled, I just put
the jars in before I put the heat on under the pot. But emptying the hot
water out of them is really awkward for me. If I use the jar lifter I have
to be careful how I tilt the jar to empty it to be sure that the hot water
doesn't run doen my arm. I find it easier to use tongs, but then the jar
isn't as secure and I'm always a bit afraid I'll drop one and smash it.

Do the rest of you heat the jars before filling them for BWB canning? How
about for pressure canning? The manual that came with my canner said I
should have them in 180F water for 10 minutes before filling.

Anny

Anny Middon wrote:
> "ellen wickberg" > wrote in message
> news:Sge%f.6481$P01.495@pd7tw3no...
>
>
>>Hi Anny. Are you sterilizing the jars in the BWB? For most BWB canning
>>you only need hot, clean jars, not sterilized, to put your product in. The
>>BWB time will make sure that the contents and jars are sufficiently heated
>>to destroy spoilage organisms.
>>Ellen
>
>
> Most of my references seem to suggest that the jars be hot. I don't think
> this is to sterilize them per se but to ensure they don't crack when the hot
> jam hits them.
>
> Since I got the pot on to boil for the jars after they're filled, I just put
> the jars in before I put the heat on under the pot. But emptying the hot
> water out of them is really awkward for me. If I use the jar lifter I have
> to be careful how I tilt the jar to empty it to be sure that the hot water
> doesn't run doen my arm. I find it easier to use tongs, but then the jar
> isn't as secure and I'm always a bit afraid I'll drop one and smash it.
>
> Do the rest of you heat the jars before filling them for BWB canning? How
> about for pressure canning? The manual that came with my canner said I
> should have them in 180F water for 10 minutes before filling.
>
> Anny
>
>
I think you are right, sterilizing is not necessary but the processing
times (for hot pack BWB) are for hot food in hot jars. I said
"sterilize" because tha is what many people think they are doing with
heating their jars. In the canning kitchen community kitchen we use a
commercial dishwasher and remove the jars immediately before filling a
batch, at home I either dip the clean jars in and out of hot water with
a jar lifter or put them in the oven. I haven't, but you could, put
them in a steamer ( no water to empty out) and I have lots of Chinese
steamers that would hold about 6 500 ml jars. Pressure canning is
something about which I am not very knowledgeable.
Ellen

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:54:31 GMT, "Anny Middon"
> wrote:

>"ellen wickberg" > wrote in message
>news:Sge%f.6481$P01.495@pd7tw3no...
>
>> Hi Anny. Are you sterilizing the jars in the BWB? For most BWB canning
>> you only need hot, clean jars, not sterilized, to put your product in. The
>> BWB time will make sure that the contents and jars are sufficiently heated
>> to destroy spoilage organisms.
>> Ellen
>
>Most of my references seem to suggest that the jars be hot. I don't think
>this is to sterilize them per se but to ensure they don't crack when the hot
>jam hits them.
>
>Since I got the pot on to boil for the jars after they're filled, I just put
>the jars in before I put the heat on under the pot. But emptying the hot
>water out of them is really awkward for me. If I use the jar lifter I have
>to be careful how I tilt the jar to empty it to be sure that the hot water
>doesn't run doen my arm. I find it easier to use tongs, but then the jar
>isn't as secure and I'm always a bit afraid I'll drop one and smash it.
>
>Do the rest of you heat the jars before filling them for BWB canning? How
>about for pressure canning? The manual that came with my canner said I
>should have them in 180F water for 10 minutes before filling.
>
>Anny
>
I just put my jars through the dishwasher. I know about how long it
takes to do a cycle and plan when to start jarring. I leave the jars
in the dishwasher with the door closed and they are usually very hot
as I get them out.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

"Anny Middon" > wrote in message
om...
> "ellen wickberg" > wrote in message
> news:Sge%f.6481$P01.495@pd7tw3no...
>
> > Hi Anny. Are you sterilizing the jars in the BWB? For most BWB canning
> > you only need hot, clean jars, not sterilized, to put your product in.
The
> > BWB time will make sure that the contents and jars are sufficiently
heated
> > to destroy spoilage organisms.
> > Ellen
>
> Most of my references seem to suggest that the jars be hot. I don't think
> this is to sterilize them per se but to ensure they don't crack when the
hot
> jam hits them.
>
> Since I got the pot on to boil for the jars after they're filled, I just
put
> the jars in before I put the heat on under the pot. But emptying the hot
> water out of them is really awkward for me. If I use the jar lifter I
have
> to be careful how I tilt the jar to empty it to be sure that the hot water
> doesn't run doen my arm. I find it easier to use tongs, but then the jar
> isn't as secure and I'm always a bit afraid I'll drop one and smash it.
>
> Do the rest of you heat the jars before filling them for BWB canning? How
> about for pressure canning? The manual that came with my canner said I
> should have them in 180F water for 10 minutes before filling.
>
> Anny
>
>

Hi Anny,

sounds like you and I do exactly the same thing - if I'm gonna boil water
for when after the jars are filled.........yep, the clean jars are in the
pot as it comes to a boil, and as I 'jam'. Once my jam/jelly is ready, I
fish the jars out using tongs, just like you, but carefully pour THAT
boiling hot water into the pot that has the lids in it, and fill the jars
with jam/jelly. That hot water that I pour out into the lid pot softens the
rubber seals. I fill the jars with jam/jelly, clean the rims, fish the lids
out of the hot water, cap, return to boiling water.

then I'm done

Kathi

cliff_the_gardener wrote:
> Re autoclaveing - to sterilize a food product doesn't the product need
> to achieve 121C, rather than just be in heat for 20 min -qv a joint of
> beef - would be raw on the inside

Yes that is why I said

"you could use a pressure cooker for this but you have to start timing
once the cooker has reached temperature. "

The 20 minutes is the holding time at 121C (15psi) in the pressurised
steam.

That is my point - you are trying to achieve a core temperature of
121°C for 20 mins. Just holding for 20mins doesn't garantee that.

cliff_the_gardener wrote:
> That is my point - you are trying to achieve a core temperature of
> 121°C for 20 mins. Just holding for 20mins doesn't garantee that.

As the original poster was refering to empty jars and my answer was
about empty jars then 20 minutes is adequate.

For microbiological media (broth or agar), 15 minutes holding time at
121C in the autoclave is adequate for volumes up to 500mL, 20 minutes
for up to 1L, 30 for 2-3L and so on.

Empty galssware is best sterilized in a dry oven at 160C, if the
glassware is to be sterized in an autoclave then the lids should be
loose or the mouth of the vessel should be covered with paper (we use
either autoclave bags or brown paper). The glassware should then be
laid on their sides to enable the steam to penetrate into the vessel/s.
Autoclaving empty vessels in an upright position can cause an airlock
thus preventing the steam to penetrate.

You may like to look at :-
http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/Dow...rilisation.pdf
http://www.bmb.leeds.ac.uk/mbiology/.../physical.html