Question about canning- bringing water to a boil

[Dace]

Patandchickens posted this 'If a jam gets runny from processing, chances are pretty high that either you processed it too long (your water should come back to a boil within just a few minutes of putting the jars in, don't process the jars any longer than instructed) or your pectin content was already pretty marginal (prolonged heating breaks down pectin).

Which got me to thinking...it seems to take about 15-20 minutes on high to get my water to a full rolling boil. It is at a low boil when I replace the hot filled jars, but it still takes forever to get to a rapid boil. Can I just put the canner lid on when it is at a low boil? Above a simmer but not a rapid full boil is what I am trying to describe.
My first and only batch of jam is really runny and I wonder if this extended boil was a contributing factor.

 

[simple life]

After you remove the heated jars and while you are filling them, do you put the cover on the pot and turn it up high?
By the time you are done filling and capping all of the jars your water should be at a rolling boil.
You are really suppose to start timing them at a rolling boil, maybe the water is not hot enough when you are taking the jars out.
I know you aren't suppose to boil the empty jars, but you could let it get hot enough that it will come to a boil more quickly.
Maybe you are already doing this, just trying to come up with some answers for you.Hopefully you can work it out.

 

[patandchickens]

I know you aren't suppose to boil the empty jars

Why on earth not? I'd never heard that. That's how I almost always sterilize my jars (unless I am doing a large enough canning adventure that the dishwasher makes more sense), and I cannot figure out what problem it could possibly cause?

Which got me to thinking...it seems to take about 15-20 minutes on high to get my water to a full rolling boil. It is at a low boil when I replace the hot filled jars, but it still takes forever to get to a rapid boil. Can I just put the canner lid on when it is at a low boil? Above a simmer but not a rapid full boil is what I am trying to describe.

I'm not sure I understand. Personally, I only have the lid off the canner when I am actually removing jars to fill (this is a while, as I remove them one at a time, so each is filled immediately - then I set the filled, lidded jars on a wood cuttingboard or free space on the range top, til they are all filled and ready to go back into the canner). When it is preheating and sterilizing the jars, and as soon as I put the filled jars into the canner, I always have the lid on.

It is also possible that there's a difference in stove element wattage (or the gas equivalent)?

Either way, I have the water boiling gently when I take the jars out to fill, and despite the lid off for five minutes or whatever, when I put them back in and put the lid on it only takes maybe 3 minutes to come back to a pretty good boil, at which point I start my timer.

My first and only batch of jam is really runny and I wonder if this extended boil was a contributing factor.

I would betcha anything this is correct.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Cassandra]

It does the same thing for me. After I put the jars in, takes a long time to get the water to a rapid boil again. I attribute this to a couple of things (but, of course, I can't be sure of the cause)

1.) I usually have the canner sitting on a smaller diameter burner because of the unfortunate position of my stove and counter space.

2.) I am still learning and thus very slow at the processing in general. So the jars have already cooled off a lot when I put them in there and the water has already slowed down considerably.

The moment of canning is still very hectic to me and I usually get my husband in to help with this few minutes. It's like: jelly starts to boil and I frantically call for John "Come help me! It's time!" and there's this comical mad dash to get the jars full of jelly into the canner so I can finally relax and breathe. LOL

Hopefully I will become more graceful with practice.

Jelly mostly comes out fine, but I have had a runny batch of jam once.

Cassandra

 

[simple life]

Why on earth not? I'd never heard that. That's how I almost always sterilize my jars (unless I am doing a large enough canning adventure that the dishwasher makes more sense), and I cannot figure out what problem it could possibly cause?


I never said it could cause a problem, just that your not suppose to, meaning that you don't need, don't have to or... not suppose to.



From the Ball Complete Book Of Home Preserving 2006
Page 416
Cover canner and bring water to a simmer over medium heat.
Do not boil jars; boiling jars, or presterilization, is unnecessary.
Heat prcoessing destroys any microorganisms, not only in the food but also in the containers and closures. Keep jars hot until you are ready to use them.

 

[nccountrygirl]

My grandmama would put her jars in a 200 degree oven till she was ready to fill them. The heat form the oven would kill any nasties that were in the jar. She would lay them on their side on the oven racks. She did this for as long as I could remember. Just a thought.

 

[patandchickens]

I never said it could cause a problem, just that your not suppose to

Evidently the phrase "not supposed to" means different things to different people

<shrug>If one is having trouble getting the waterbath back up to a boil fast enough, it seems to me the logical thing is to boil it while you're sterilizing your jars (or whatever the Ball book wants to call it). Because that reduces the time your preserves sit there in hot-but-not-boiling water, breaking down the pectin and gettin' runny. There is no reason on earth not to do it that way.

Or of course there is always the runny jam alternative, if you like that better. To each their own


Pat

 

[blurose]

I sterilize my jars in the oven at 225 F, which means I can get my canner boiling well before adding in the filled jars. It is also easier for me to handle, not having to empty water out of the hot jars before I can fill them with product.

 

[simple life]

I like that idea, alot easier that turning the jars over and pouring out water and hoping you don't get a steam burn or splattered with hot water.
I'm not considered short but its still a reach to get some of the jars out of the canner, my stove was custom built and the design made it a little taller than the average stove, which I didn't think would be a problem and it really isn't except for reaching some of those jars, so this might be a better option for me.
This would actually be an easier way for when you are doing multiple batches. You don't have to tie up the canner heating up jars in between the batches.
How long do you put them in the oven for?

 

[blurose]

I put them in the oven before I start my jam recipe cooking and leave them in until I've filled all the jars I can with what product I have available. When doing cold-pack pickles, I put them in first thing and leave them in until I've got my brine ready and everything else ready. Then I take out one jar at a time, fill it with raw cucs, garlic, dill weed, a tiny dried red pepper, pour in the brine, seal it and let it wait on the counter until all of my other jars are ready. In the meantime, I've got my canner already boiling on high and extra water boiled too, just in case I need to add some to the canner. Of course, it is obvious that the more jars you put in the canner, the less extra water you'll need, but you already knew that. I have found that my little hot-pot comes in really handy for quickly heating up extra water if I need it. Today, I canned two pint jars of whole-berry cranberry sauce, but it was only enough product to fill one jar full and the other a little over half full. The half-full jar kept floating in the canner so I had to weigh it down with an empty jar filled with water. Unfortunately, this fell over during the 10-minutes processing time, allowing the jar to float again. However, I did get a good seal on the jar, so I hope it'll be alright. It only has to last on the shelf until Thanksgiving anyway. This just means one less thing I have to do on Thanksgiving Day.