15. The equipment required for canning depends on two things: the
quantity of food to be canned at one time and, since there are several
canning methods in use, the canning method that is to be employed.
Various kinds of elaborate equipment have been devised to make the work
of canning easy as well as effective. However, it is possible to do
excellent work with simple equipment, and if the matter of expense must
be considered there should be no hesitation about choosing the simplest
and least expensive and doing the work in the best possible way with it.
It is important also that utensils already included in the household
equipment be improvised to meet the needs of the canning season as far
as possible.
16. Whatever the canning method that is to be followed may be, there are
a number of utensils and containers that go to make up the general
equipment that is required. Familiarity with such an equipment is
extremely necessary for correct results in canning, and for this reason
the general equipment is discussed here in detail. The special equipment
needed for each of the canning methods, however, is not taken up until
the method is considered. In giving this general equipment, mention is
made of some utensils that are convenient but not absolutely necessary.
Any unnecessary, but convenient, part of a canning equipment should
therefore be chosen with a view to its labor-saving qualities and its
expense. A device that will make the keeping of canned foods more
certain and prevent loss may be a valuable purchase; still, that which
makes for greater convenience, but not absolute saving, need not be
considered a necessity.
17. VESSELS FOR CANNING.--The pots, kettles, and pans in ordinary use in
the kitchen for cooking purposes are usually satisfactory for the
canning of foods. Those made of tin or iron, however, are not so good as
enameled ones or those made of other metals, such as aluminum.
Especially is this true of utensils used for the canning of acid fruits
or vegetables, because, if such food remains in contact with tin or iron
for more than a few minutes, the acid will corrode the surface
sufficiently to give the food a bad or metallic taste. In addition, such
utensils often give the food a dark color. If enameled kettles are used
for the cooking of foods that are to be canned, it is important that the
surface be perfectly smooth and unbroken. Otherwise, it will be
difficult to prevent burning; besides, chips of the enamel are liable to
get into the food. Kettles for the cooking of fruits with sirup should
be flat and have a broad surface. Fruit is not so likely to crush in
such kettles as in kettles that are deep and have a small surface.
18. KNIVES, SPOONS AND OTHER SMALL UTENSILS.--Many of the small utensils
in a kitchen equipment are practically indispensable for canning
purposes. Thus, for paring fruits and vegetables and cutting out cores,
blossoms, and stem ends or any defective spots, nothing is more
satisfactory than a sharp paring knife with a good point. For paring
acid fruits, though, a plated knife is not so likely to cause
discoloring as a common steel knife. There are, however, other useful
implements for special work, such as the _strawberry huller_, Fig. 1,
for removing the stems of strawberries, and the _peach pitter_, Fig. 2,
for removing the stones from clingstone peaches. For placing the food to
be canned into jars, both forks and large spoons are necessities. A
large spoon with holes or slits in the bowl is convenient for picking
fruits and vegetables out of a kettle when no liquid is desired, as well
as for skimming a kettle of fruit. For packing foods into jars, a
long-handled spoon with a small bowl is convenient. Still another useful
small utensil is a short, wide funnel that may be inserted into the
mouth of a jar and thus permit the food to be dipped or poured into it
without being spilled.
[Illustration: FIG. 1]
19. DEVICES FOR MEASURING.--Accurate measures are necessary in canning;
in fact, some of the work cannot be done satisfactorily without them. A
half-pint measuring cup and a quart measure with the cups marked on it
are very satisfactory for making all measures.
Scales are often convenient, too. For measuring dry materials, they are
always more accurate than measures. Many canning proportions and recipes
call for the measurement of the ingredients by weight rather than by
measure. When this is the case and a pair of scales is not convenient,
it is almost impossible to be certain that the proportions are correct.
For instance, if a recipe calls for a pound of sugar and an equal amount
of fruit, a measuring cup will in no way indicate the correct quantity.
20. COLANDER AND WIRE STRAINER.--For the cleansing of fruits and
vegetables that are to be canned, a colander is of great assistance;
also, if a large wire strainer is purchased, it may be used as a sieve
and for scalding and blanching, steps in canning that are
explained later.
[Illustration: FIG. 2]
21. GLASS JARS.--For household canning, the most acceptable containers
for food are glass jars that may be closed air-tight with jar rubbers
and tops. Use is sometimes made of bottles, jars, and cans of various
kinds that happen to be at hand, but never should they be employed
unless they can be fitted with covers and made positively air-tight.
Like utensils, the glass jars that are a part of the household supply
should be used from year to year, if possible, but not at the loss of
material. Such loss, however, will depend on the proper sealing of the
jars, provided everything up to that point has been correctly done. All
jars should be carefully inspected before they are used, because
imperfect or broken edges are often responsible for the spoiling
of food.
In purchasing glass jars, only what are known as _first quality_ should
be selected. Cheap jars are likely to be seconds and will not prove so
satisfactory. Glass jars may be purchased in sizes that hold from 1/2
pint to 2 quarts. If possible, food should be canned in the size of jar
that best suits the number of persons to be served.
If the family consists of two, pint jars will hold even more than may be
used at one time, while if the family is large the contents of a quart
jar may not be sufficient.
[Illustration: FIG. 3]
22. Numerous types of glass jars are to be had. Some of them are more
convenient than others and may be made air-tight more easily. These two
features are the most important to consider in making a selection. Jars
that close with difficulty, especially if the tops screw on, are not
likely to keep food successfully because the bacteria in the air will
have a chance to enter and thus cause the food to spoil.
Glass jars used for canning foods have improved with canning methods.
The old-style jars had a groove into which the cover fit, and melted
sealing wax or rosin was poured into the space surrounding the cover.
Later came the screw-top jar shown in Fig. 3. This type of jar has been
extensively used with excellent results. Both the mouth of this jar and
the jar top, which is made of metal, usually zinc, lined with glass or
porcelain, have threads that match, and the jar is sealed by placing the
jar rubber over the top, or ridge, of the jar and then screwing the jar
top firmly in place. Such jars, however, are more difficult to make
air-tight than some of the newer types. One of these jars is illustrated
in Fig. 4. It is provided with a glass cover that fits on the ridge of
the jar and a metal clasp that serves to hold the cover in place and to
make the jar air-tight after a rubber is placed in position. Another
convenient and simple type of glass jar, known as the _automatic seal
top_, has a metal cover with a rubber attached.
Another improvement in jars is that the opening has been enlarged so
that large fruits and vegetables, such as peaches, tomatoes, etc., can
be packed into them whole. With such wide-mouthed jars, it is easier to
pack the contents in an orderly manner and thus improve the appearance
of the product. Besides, it is a simpler matter to clean such a jar than
one that has a small opening.
[Illustration: FIG. 4]
23. JAR TOPS AND COVERS.--While the tops, or covers, for glass jars are
made of both metal and glass, as has been stated, the glass tops meet
with most favor. Of course, they are breakable, but they are even more
durable than metal tops, which are usually rendered less effective by
the bending they undergo when they are removed from the jar. Covers made
of zinc are being rapidly abandoned, and it has been proved that the
fewer the grooves and the simpler the cover, the more carefully and
successfully can it be cleaned. For safety, glass tops that have become
chipped or nicked on the edges that fit the jar should be replaced by
perfect ones. The covers for automatic-seal jars must be pierced before
they can be removed, and this necessitates a new supply for each
canning. If there is any question about the first-class condition of jar
covers, whether of metal or glass, tops that are perfect should
be provided.
24. JAR RUBBERS.--Jar rubbers are required with jar tops to seal jars
air-tight. Before they are used, they should be tested in the manner
shown in Fig. 5. Good jar rubbers will return to their original shape
after being stretched. Such rubbers should be rather soft and elastic,
and they should fit the jars perfectly and lie down flat when adjusted.
A new supply of rubbers should be purchased each canning season, because
rubber deteriorates as it grows old. Rubbers of good quality will stand
boiling for 5 hours without being affected, but when they have become
stiff and hard from age it is sometimes impossible to make jars
air-tight. Occasionally, two old rubbers that are comparatively soft may
be used in place of a new one, and sometimes old rubbers are dipped in
paraffin and then used. However, if there is any difficulty in sealing
jars properly with rubbers so treated, they should be discarded and good
ones used.
25. TIN CANS.--For household canning, tin cans are not so convenient as
glass jars, but in spite of this they are coming into extensive use. The
kind that may be used without any special equipment has a tin lid that
fits into a groove and is fastened in place with rosin or sealing wax.
Some cans, however, require that the lids be soldered in place. While
soldering requires special equipment, this method of making the cans
air-tight is the best, and it is employed where considerable canning is
done, as by canning clubs or commercial canners.
[Illustration: FIG. 5]
In the purchase of tin cans, the size of the opening should receive
consideration. If large fruits and vegetables, such as peaches, pears,
and tomatoes, are to be canned, the opening must be a large one;
whereas, if peas, beans, corn, and other small vegetables or fruits are
to be canned, cans having a smaller opening may be chosen. When acid
fruits or vegetables are to be canned, use should be made of cans that
are coated with shellac, as this covering on the inside of the cans
prevents any action of the acid on the tin.
* * * * *