The University of Wisconsin & the University of Georgia recently published a peer-reviewed article on the "Home Processing of Acid Foods in Atmospheric Steam and Boiling Water Canners." Big title for the safety of steam canners for recipes that can be BWB. Their conclusion, which I'm sure many of you know, is that they are safe with the following conditions: (These are my summaries of their words)
The full article can be found at http://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/May-Jun-15-willmore.pdf . Full of scientific info and mathematical calculations, but I managed to get through the entire article, relying a lot on my college level math education.
Because I sell my jams & jellies at a local farmers market, I have not yet used a steam canner since I could not find any tested articles on their safety. So as soon as I read the article, I went to Amazon & purchased this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058SSUV0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . I should be getting it today and will give it a try as soon as possible. BTW, I wrote to Victorio and asked if I could double stack half-pint jars. Their reply was yes.
- Only acid foods with a pH of less than or equal to 4.6
- Use only current, tested recipes approved for BWB
- Temperature of 212 must be reached before timing starts and throughout process. Use a thermometer in vent port, not steam vent size or intensity which are not good indicators. Steam canners with built in thermometers are OK.
- Use only hot food & hot jars. Minimize cooling before processing.
- Use time adjustments for high elevations
- Processing time should be less than or equal to 45 minutes, else the canner may run dry.
- Cooling should be done at room temperature, not in a refrigerator or anything else to speed up cooling.
The full article can be found at http://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/May-Jun-15-willmore.pdf . Full of scientific info and mathematical calculations, but I managed to get through the entire article, relying a lot on my college level math education.
Because I sell my jams & jellies at a local farmers market, I have not yet used a steam canner since I could not find any tested articles on their safety. So as soon as I read the article, I went to Amazon & purchased this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058SSUV0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . I should be getting it today and will give it a try as soon as possible. BTW, I wrote to Victorio and asked if I could double stack half-pint jars. Their reply was yes.
