Pressure cooking questions

[gone 2 seed]

For some reason I was thinking a read somewhere that when you open canned veggies or sauces that you have to simmer for 15 minutes for it to be safe to eat. Is this true of something I just dreamed up?

I had a hard time getting the pressure canner to regulate to 3 to 4 jiggles a minute. Is there a trick to getting the right temp?

I canned spaghetti sacue with meat in it and then found where someone compared sauce with meat to spam. Anyone ever canned sauce with the meat in it?

These are probably stupid questions but if you don't ask then you don't know.

Thanks,

Susan

 

[coopy]

I am not sure I understand but I am going to attempt to answer your question. Are you talking about vegetables you have canned or ones you have bought at the store? Either way I have eaten both without heating them up for 15 minutes.
To the other question. I take it your pressure canner has a pressure regulator that has 5-10-15 on the disk. If so this means 5 pounds of pressure, 10 pounds of pressure, and 15 pounds of pressure. Is this what you have?

 

[patandchickens]

For some reason I was thinking a read somewhere that when you open canned veggies or sauces that you have to simmer for 15 minutes for it to be safe to eat. Is this true of something I just dreamed up?

Yes, this has been the recommendation for a long time (although I think I recall just 10 minutes).

However, I have read some recent (like, past few yrs) gov't agency sources that no longer say you have to do that, AS LONG AS you have dotted all your i's and crossed all your t's whilst canning the stuff in the first place, i.e. done it totally completely properly in all details.


Pat

 

[blurose]

I canned spaghetti sauce with meat in my pressure canner before. The flavor was as per my usual, but the texture of the meat was "mealy" or grainy. I didn't like the texture at all. Maybe I overcooked it, as I browned the meat before canning it.

 

[averytds]

I've read the 10 min rule too. I've always just reheated as needed, but I've never timed it.

On the temp thing I would say it's more learning the settings for your stove and practice. Then just repeat. Like simmering the lids, but not boiling. Through trial and error, I now know to set my burner at 3. For my canner, once I hit right pressure, setting my burner between 3.5 and 4 usually maintains it.

The only meat I've ever done is chicken for chicken soup starter. I didn't notice a difference.

HTH

 

[curly_kate]

My DH just got me a pressure canner from an auction. It looks like its about 40 years old, but the gasket looks new. Is there anything I should do to test it out before using it? It seems to have both a dial and a weighted gauge (there's a heavy metal thingy that rests on a post on the lid).

 

[blurose]

I think if you contact your local cooperative extension office they will test it for you. I know my local Farmer's Market, sponsered by my USDA cooperative extension office, tests pressure canners this time of year every Saturday morning in the mall parking lot.

 

[averytds]

IME extension offices only test the dial gauges. The gauge only, not the canner itself. Weighted gauges don't need testing for accuracy.

I myself have an old AA which was MIL and her mom's before her. Personally I hate it and have worried for years it would blow up on me. I made DH use it the 1st couple of times while the kids and I cleared the room since he was the one insisting I use it. Used canners much like carseats can have issues even if they look fine.

Here's some info on buying used and getting them tested.
http://missvickie.com/canning/testing.htm

HTH