I often use my pressure canner as a water bath canner. I just don’t add the gauge to the top. There is no need to buy a “water bath canner”. You can use any tall, heavy-bottomed pot with a rack in the bottom. The rack is to keep the jars from coming into contact with the hot bottom. If you are using a big pot, place extra jar bands on the bottom of the pot. I own a water bath canner, but I only use it if both of my pressure canners are full.
Steps:
1. Clean the jars with hot soapy water (or run them through the dishwasher) and check the rim for chips. Use any chipped or cracked jars for dry goods storage or throw them away. Fill the canner halfway with clean water. This is the amount of water needed for a load of pint jars. If you are doing quart jars, add a little more water.
2. You don’t need to sterilize your jars if the recipe calls for processing for 10 or more minutes. They will be sterilized during processing. If your recipe requires less than 10 minutes, you must boil the jars for 10 minutes prior to filling with food. Keep them hot until you are ready to fill them. I use my dishwasher and keep the jars in the hot dishwasher until I am ready to fill them.
3. Make sure your jars are hot before filling. The temperature of your jar needs to be close to the temperature of your food: hot food needs hot jars or you might shatter a jar. You should also heat the jar lids 5 minutes by placing them in hot water, which helps to soften the rings. You don’t have to boil the jar lids, though.
4. Unless your recipe needs tons of time to cook, start heating your water when you start cooking. Most water bath recipes are for jams and jellies, which don’t sit and wait well.
5. Fill the jars leaving the head space specified in the recipe. “Head space” is the amount of space above the food at the top of the jar. Too much space and the jar may not seal correctly and too little may cause food to push out during boiling. If there are any solids in the jar, you should remove air pockets by running a plastic knife or a bubbling tool around the inside of the jar. Then add more liquid if needed.
6. Use a damp cloth to wipe the rim of the jar. I normally use vinegar instead of water for this. Do another check to make sure that the jar rims don’t have any knicks or chips in them. If they do, don’t use the jar for canning food. Put on a flat lid that has been kept in hot, not boiling, water, then add a ring. Tighten the ring to finger tight ONLY. Do not over-tighten the ring or it may affect how well your jar seals.
7. Load jars into the canner. I like to use a “jar lifter”. This keeps you from getting too close to the boiling water and gives a firm grip on a hot jar. Don’t tilt your jars since tilting could cause food to spill into the sealing area of the lid.
8. After you load the jars, make sure the water level is at least 1 inch above the top of the jars. If not, add more boiling water. I use my electric kettle to keep some hot water nearby if the recipe needs more than 30 minutes and I make sure there is 2 inches of water above my jars. Honestly, I usually look for a pressure canner recipe if something needs that long to process.
9. Put the lid on the canner, and heat until the water reaches a fast boil. Once boiling, set a timer.
Most Recipes are written for under 1,000 feet. If you are over 1000 ft elevation, adjust the time as follows:
1001-3000 ft: increase processing time by 5 minutes
3001-6000 ft: increase processing time by 10 minutes
6001-8000 ft: increase processing time by 15 minutes
8001-10,000 ft: increase processing time by 20 minutes
10. Keep the lid on the canner and keep the water boiling. If your water stops boiling at any time, bring it back to a fast boil and begin timing from the beginning. Add more boiling water, if needed, to keep the water level above the jars.
11. When jars have been boiled for the recommended time, turn off the heat, and remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars.
12. Use jar lifter to remove jars and place them on a towel to cool at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Leave about an inch of air space around each jar. Again, be careful not to tilt the jars while moving them. I love listening to the ping, ping, ping, as the jars seal. They can seal immediately or, more commonly, as they cool down. Lay a towel over the jars to make sure they don’t get any drafts.
13. Don’t move your jars. Check for seals after 12 to 24 hours by gently pushing down the center of lid, it should concave slightly and make no noise. If any jars fail to seal, put them in the refrigerator and use them within a month. Once the jars have all sealed, remove the rings, wash all the jars, and store them in your pantry.
14. Check each jar before opening. If any seal has come undone or you notice any signs of spoilage, do not eat the food! Botulism does not have a smell or taste, and it is very rare, but it is very deadly.
Links to more information are here. The Centers for Disease Control reported 145 cases of botulism caused by home-canned food over 18 years (1996-2014), which means that most people ARE following the guidelines to prepare food properly.
