Canning Equipment Needed For Food Preservation

Canning is a very effective and safe way of preserving your food and making it last up to several years. This involves storing your food in sterilized containers, sealing them properly, and boiling them again to remove whatever bacteria or toxins may have been left. It is not at all that difficult to do, and only needs some equipment for it to be carried out properly.

Jars and caps
You can use canning jars as small as 4 ounces (1/4 pint) or as big as 64 ounces (1/2 gallon), depending on the type and amount of food you will be storing. Before the canning process, check the jars for any defects such as cracks or nicks. These can prevent them from sealing properly so don't use them. Wash the jars well with soap and hot water, sterilize them in boiling water for about ten minutes, and keep them heated right until the time when the food to be preserved is transferred into them. The hot water keeps them clean while you're still in the process of preparing the food, as well as preventing breakage due to sudden change in temperature when hot contents are placed in it. The jars can still be reused for canning in the future, but the caps should only be used once.

Water Bath Canner
This type of canner is used for highly acidic foods such as certain fruits, fruit products like jam and jellies, and pickled vegetables. The acidity of these types of food makes it difficult for bacteria to thrive and the temperature of boiling water is enough to kill any remaining bacteria, yeast or molds. Using water bath canners involves putting in enough water to cover the jars with 1 or 2 inches of water, letting it boil for the required amount of time, and then removing the jars immediately to cool.

Steam Canner
Steam canners are used for the same types of food as water bath canners. The difference is that this type of canner uses less amounts of water and fire to use, because it only requires the heat from the water's steam to sterilize the jars.

Pressure Canner
If you're planning on canning foods such as meat and vegetables, they need to be processed using pressure canners due to their low acidity. Only pressure canners are able to reach the right temperature and sustain it for the required amount of time to kill all the bacteria and toxins, especially Clostridium botulinum, that are naturally present in low-acid foods. This is impossible to do with a water bath canner.

The weighted-gauge and dial-gauge pressure canners can both be used effectively but some might prefer weighted-gauge ones because they are generally more precise in controlling and monitoring accurate pressure. It emits a jiggling sound which indicates that the required pressure is being maintained, so you are assured that it's working as expected without you having to look at it. Aside from that, there is no adjustment necessary to keep it working properly. Dial-gauge canners, on the other hand, require a yearly checking to ensure its accuracy and effectively in preserving the food.

Pressure canners have a disadvantage, though, when they are used at higher altitudes (above 1000 feet for weighted-gauge and above 2000 feet for dial-gauge). They require pressure settings to be set higher than normal (when used below 1000 or 2000 feet) so they have to be adjusted accordingly.
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