How to Water Bath Can
Do you want to learn how to can jams, jellies, salsas, and pickles right in your own kitchen? Have you got an over abundance of fruit that you don’t want to go to waste and you want to find a way to preserve it? Then it is the perfect time to learn how to water bath can. Keep reading to learn what you need to get started creating your own delicious and safe home preserves.
How to Water Bath Can The Safe Way - A Disclaimer
If you have ever searched for information regarding canning, you’ll find there are typically two camps; the ones who are concerned with safety, and the ones who “have been doing it this way for years” and “are fine”. I’m not going to lie, this stresses me the eff out. This website will only ever teach and share safe canning methods and recipes. As the saying goes, “Your kitchen, your rules,” so you are free to do as you please. However, I feel it is my responsibility to impress upon you why safety is a concern when home preserving.
Safety Concerns When Canning
This section is not shared to scare you away from canning, but to let you know why safe canning methods are preferred. It should be noted that there are fewer safety concerns with high acid foods (those you can safely water bath can). But because most people start with water bath canning, I believe it is best to get into the habit of safe methods from the start.
The main safety concern with canning is the prevention of botulism. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has this to say about it:
Growth of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum in canned food may cause botulism—a deadly form of food poisoning. These bacteria exist either as spores or as vegetative cells. The spores, which are comparable to plant seeds, can survive harmlessly in soil and water for many years. When ideal conditions exist for growth, the spores produce vegetative cells which multiply rapidly and may produce a deadly toxin within 3 to 4 days of growth in an environment consisting of: a moist, low-acid food a temperature between 40° and 120°F less than 2 percent oxygen.
How to Prevent Botulism When Canning
Prevention of botulism is not hard if you follow tested methods and recipes. This means:
- Only water bath can high acid foods -fruits, jams, jellies, pickles, etc.
- Pressure can low acid foods – meats, seafoods, beans, vegetables, etc. (We will outline this in further articles, stay tuned!)
- Do not “wing it” and make up your own recipes
- Always peel root vegetables for canning
- Do not substitute ingredients
- Always use proper processing methods
- Store your canned goods according to best practices
- Do not simply use any recipe found on a blog, even this one!
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Water Bath Canning Necessities
The nice thing about water bath canning is it doesn’t require a bunch of fancy equipment to get started. The buy in is a little bit up front but tends to pay for itself over and over as jars are reusable and tools only need to be purchased once. I consider it an investment.
You will need a canner, canning accessory kit (tongs, jar lifter, funnel, magnetic lid lifter, jar wrench, and bubble popper), jars, a recipe, and the food. Now let’s break down each of those below.
What Canner to Purchase for Water Bath Canning
As with most things, you have options for what type of canner you would like to use to can your preserves. The main things to consider are how many jars you plan to process, what type of stovetop you have, and availability of storage space. Most boiling water type canners have space to can seven quart jars or eight to nine pints. However, if you don’t want to purchase a separate canner a regular stock pot can be used as long as you can ensure that the water will be able to briskly boil and maintain one inch of space above the lid of your jars and rack on the bottom.
My #1 Choice for Water Bath Canner
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The Ball Jar Collection Elite Stainless-Steel 21-Quart Waterbath Canner with Rack and Glass Lid is the canner that I use for water bath canning. It fits up to 7quart size jars, 9 pints, or 13 half pints. The lid is glass which allows you to see inside and ensure your jars are processing properly. Also, you can use it on any stove top. The size is pretty large, 17-2/5 by 13 by 9-2/3 inches, so be sure to consider the storage space necessary.
What I like about this canner is that typically I can process an entire batch of a recipe at one time. So while I do have to store this in the top shelf of my bedroom closet, it’s worth it to me to save time. That being said, this is the most expensive canner I will be sharing here, but I honestly feel like it has paid for itself over so many times.
A Water Bath Canner Worth Considering
If you are looking for a little bit more cost effective water bath canner, take a peek at the Granite Ware 21.5-Quart Porcelain Canner with Rack. With a capacity of 7-quart jars, 9-pint jars or 13-half pint jars it’s another great option. This can be used on both electric and gas stove-tops, but not induction-type. One downside I can see is that without the clear lid you may not be able to ensure the water is at a full boil for proper processing. To check, you’d need to open the lid and heat would escape extending your process time.
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Can I Use a Regular Stock Pot as a Water Bath Canner?
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To use a large stockpot that you already own as a water bath canner, consider these things first:
- A flat bottom pan must be used on an electric range.
- Either a flat or ridged bottom pan may be used on a gas range.
- Water must be able to boil briskly at least one inch over the top of the jars on the rack.
- It must have a lid.
If you already own a stockpot that meets those requirements, you simply need to purchase a rack. Note the width of your pot and purchase a rack that will fit well inside. The one shown above fits inside a 12.5 inch pot, but check out this Amazon Link to find one of a different size.
Another Option - Electric Canner
While talking about which canner to purchase, it’s important to include the electric canner option. If you are someone who likes ease of use, this may be just what you’re looking for. The Ball freshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner and Multi-Cooker is an all in one water bath product.
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This thing is a power house and has a list of really useful features.
- One dial temperature control
- Uses 20% less energy than a stovetop canner AND puts out less heat in your kitchen
- A convenient drain spout to empty the pot easily into the sink
- Can be used for steaming and cooking meals
An Important Note About Electric Canners
While shopping for an electric water bath canner, do not become enamored by products claiming to be “pressure canners”. We will discuss in later posts about electric pressure canners; which ones are a safe option and which are not. For right now, stick to electric water bath canners and shy away those labeled for electric pressure canning. I am aware of pressure cookers that claim to be for canning, but those claims are not tested and the safety of the process cannot be verified.
Necessary Canning Accessories
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Canning Essentials
Now that you’ve decided on what canner to purchase, you need to know what tools are necessary to successfully process your first batch. The Norpro Canning Essentials Boxed Set is a wonderful, nofrills kit to get you
started. It contains all of the things that will help you prepare and process your jars from start to finish. I highly recommend this one as a first purchase.
Jars
Finally, you need jars, lids, and bands. The nice thing about buying a pack of jars is that they come with the bands and lids. As you begin to reuse your jars you’ll need only to purchase new flats (lids). The jars and bands themselves are reusable.
The most trusted brands of jars that experienced canners use are Ball and
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Kerr. They come in a variety of sizes from half pints up to quarts and everything in between. You will also notice there are wide mouth and regular variety. As we move into canning recipes, we will discuss which will work better for the recipe we are preparing.
When Covid lockdowns began, more people flocked to canning and we noticed a lid shortage. This caused canners to try using off brand lids which often failed and led to a frustrating experience. While you may save money buying lids from an unknown brand, in the end you may lose all of your hard work because of a failed seal.
Unnecessary But Nice to Have Canning Accessories
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A Better Funnel
Now, if you’re like me and you like fancy kitchen tools, you will definitely want the Prepworks Canning Funnel. Unlike the starter funnel in the kit above, this sits snugly on both regular and wide mouth jars and won’t tip and fall off, spreading jam all over your counter. Ask me how I know. It allows for hands free
filling of jars and also measures headspace right on the funnel! I love it so much.
Flour Sack Towels
One of the most important rules in the kitchen is “Clean as you go,” and it rings true especially for canning. I love having this set of flour sack dish towels at my disposal while I’m working. You will be heating jars, preparing fruits, cleaning utensils, cleaning pots and counters and having these makes it so much easier. Plus, at the end of the process, I like to place my hot jars on top of a folded
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towel on the counter. It helps that these are white and you can bleach the heck out of them when you’re all done.
The other items I’m sharing in this Amazon shop link are just some fun things you may want to purchase to personalize your canned goods.
Trusted Canning Recipe Websites and Books
Finally, you’re going to want to know where to gather recipes. As I mentioned at the start of this, if you are looking for safe recipes, do not simply trust what any old blogger or Youtuber says. There are so many unsafe, untested, and actually dangerous recipes floating around the internet. The best online resources that I use are:
What Canning Questions Do You Have?
Now I want to hear from you. What questions to you have as we move into actually water bath canning some things? If you could pick one thing that is holding you back from starting, what would it be? The questions you provide will help me to tailor make my posts for you. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.
2 thoughts on “How to Water Bath Can – Necessary Tools”
I love the fact that if you do have a seal that fails (and yes, you will), simply put it in the fridge and use it first. No need to throw away!
Oh, you definitely will. And you’re right, you can just make sure that one gets eaten first, no need to waste.