Presto Pressure Canner and Cooker warranty Helpful Hints for Pressure Canning, Chicken Stock

CHICKEN STOCK

Place large carcass bones in stockpot, add enough water to cover bones. Cover and simmer 30 to 45 minutes or until meat can be easily removed from bones. Remove bones. Cool broth; skim off and discard fat. Remove bits of meat from bones and add to broth, if desired. Reheat broth to boiling. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.

Process at 10 pounds pressure – Pints 20 minutes and Quarts 25 minutes.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR PRESSURE CANNING

Bubbles often appear in the jar after it is removed from canner because food is still boiling in jar. Ordinarily bubbles do not appear once the product has been allowed to thoroughly cool.

Jar breakage during processing is caused by: (1) Packing jar too solidly or overfilling; (2) Weakened, cracked jars; (3) Jars touching bottom of canner; (4) Lids improperly tightened; (5) Use of jars other than Mason jars.

Liquid lost from jars during processing is caused by: (1) Packing jar too solidly or overfilling; (2) Too high a temperature or too high pressure; (3) Variation or sudden lowering of temperature in the canner. When processing food, pressure regulator should not be taken off the vent pipe and cover should not be removed until air vent/cover lock has dropped and pressure has been completely reduced;

(4) Failure to adjust jar lids according to manufacturer’s directions.

The loss of liquid from jars during processing may be unattractive but it will not interfere with the keeping qualities of the food as long as the jar was processed correctly and is sealed.

It is better to overprocess food than underprocess as overprocessing will do little harm, but underprocessing may result in spoilage and unsafe food.

Flat sour, a type of food spoilage, is caused by canning overripe food or allowing precooked foods to stand in jar too long before processing. It may be prevented by using fresh products and properly processing, cooling, and storing. Flat sour shows no indication of spoilage until jar is opened.

Food spoilage or jars not sealing is caused by: (1) Failure to follow exact timetables and recipes; (2) Failure to wipe sealing edge of jar clean before placing lid on jar; (3) Foods, seeds, or grease lodged between lid and jar; (4) Jars which are nicked or cracked or have sharp sealing edges; (5) Failure to adjust jar lids according to manufacturer’s directions; (6) Turning jars upside down while jars are cooling and sealing.

Mold can form only in the presence of air. Therefore, jars are not sealed if mold is present.

The black deposit sometimes found on the underside of a lid is caused by tannins in the food or hydrogen sulfide which is liberated from the food by the heat of processing. This does not indicate spoilage.

If a jar does not seal, use the food at once, freeze or repack using different lids. Reprocess for the full recommended processing time.

Two-piece vacuum caps seal by the cooling of the contents of the jar, not through pressure of the screw band on the lid. Therefore, although the screw band is firmly tight, the jar is not sealed until cooled. During processing, the flexible metal lid permits air to be exhausted from the jar.

Adjust two-piece vacuum caps by screwing bands down evenly and firmly until a point of resistance is met–fingertip tight. Do not use undue exertion.

It is not necessary for the liquid on canned meats to congeal. The liquid will congeal only when there is a large amount of gelatin from cartilage or connective tissue present.

The loss of color from beets, during canning, is usually due to the variety of beets used or beets that are too old. If possible, can young, tender, very dark beets which are freshly gathered. Precook beets with 2 inches of the stem and all of the root on, as this helps to retain the juices.

Discoloration of peaches and pears on the top of the jar is often due to enzyme activity which means that the processing time was not long enough or the temperature not high enough to render enzymes inactive

Fruit which has been canned without sugar will often turn brown when exposed to air just as fresh fruit does.

The diameter of Mason jars may vary from one manufacturer to another. Before filling Mason jars, test load your canner. It may be necessary to double-deck pint and ½ pint jars to reach the maximum capacity of your canner as shown in the chart on page 6. It is recommended that you stagger the jars by placing one jar on top of two. Jars may touch. The canning rack which accompanied your Pressure Canner/Cooker must be placed on the bottom of the canner to prevent jar breakage. Although it is not necessary to use a rack between layers of jars, if you wish to do so, a rack can be ordered from the Presto Consumer Service Department. See page 35 for address.

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