by Rachel Saunders of BLUE CHAIR FRUITIf you're making jam, marmalade or chutney, you can skip the steamy water bath canning process and use the heat of the oven to sterilize and seal your jars.
Note: this method is not safe for other types of preserved foods.
HOW TO STERILIZE AND SEAL YOUR JARS USING THE OVEN METHOD
First, be sure your jars are clean. Place the clean jars upright with an equal number of clean, unused lids on a baking sheet or in a pre-heated 250°F oven. They should reman in the oven for a minimum of 30 minutes to ensure that they are heated through.
When your jam is done cooking and you are ready to fill your jars, remove them from the oven, keeping the oven at 250°F. Fill your jars with a canning funnel, leaving 1/4 inch of room at the top. Before lidding each jar, wipe its rim with a clean, damp cloth. Lid the fitted jars, being careful to screw the lids on just until they are snug.
Replace the filled jars in the oven for 15 minutes or so to ensure they are completely sterilized. Remove the jars from the oven and place them 1 inch apart on a drying rack to set overnight at room temperature. Do not jiggle or disturb them during this time, as this may disrupt their ability to set correctly.
Before putting your preserves away, be sure to feel the top of each lid to verify that it has sealed; it should be curving in very slightly in the middle. If any jars have not sealed, put them in the refrigerator for safekeeping and enjoy within a few months.
Wash the jars in hot, soapy water, then rinse well. Place the jars on a baking sheet and put them in the oven to dry completely – this should take around 10 minutes but can vary. If using jars with rubber seals, boil the seals, as dry heat damages them.
Oven heat is dry and slow to penetrate the jar. As a result, the processing times for water bath or pressure canning will not apply. The oven temperature is not the same as the temperature of the food in the jar.
Oven canning was a popular method of home canning around the turn of the 20th century, in part because it did not result in a sweltering kitchen and removed the risk of steam burns, but has since been deemed an unsafe method of canning.
When cooking or oven-canning with Mason jars, especially with the lid on, the heat and steam can put explosive pressure on the glass, leading to, at best, an impossibly messy kitchen, and at worst, serious burns, cuts, and shards in your food and skin.
The sealing compound used for our home canning lids performs better at room temperature than it does pre-heated in simmering water (180°F). Simply wash lids in hot, soapy water, dry, and set aside until needed.
Preheat your oven to 320F/160ºC – any less than this and the glass jars might not be fully sterilized; any higher and you'll run the risk of damaging the jars. Wash your glass jars thoroughly using hot soapy water. Rinse them properly. Preheat your oven for 10 minutes to 320F/160ºC.
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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