Sterilizing jars in a gas stove oven

Summer and early autumn are the season for mass picking of berries, fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms. With the arrival of late autumn and winter, the period of abundance ends.

On supermarket shelves there is a huge selection of marinades, pickles, fermented products, and jams. Those who care about their health prefer to prepare and preserve food themselves, knowing that it is tasty, healthy and safe. For many housewives, preparations are a mandatory part of the autumn-summer season. And they do it according to different recipes, always trying something new. However, not everyone wants to stand at the stove for a long time during the sterilization process.

Sterilization of jars

The process of preparing vegetables and fruits is simple; even a young and inexperienced housewife can handle it. But there are a number of principles of home canning that must be strictly followed:

1. careful sorting and processing of raw materials for canning;
2. preliminary preparation of the necessary equipment;
3. selection, washing and sterilization of containers.
4. strict adherence to the recipe.

Attention! The slightest failure to comply with the technology can cause spoilage of canned food and the development of microorganisms!

Most often, glass jars with volumes of 0.5 l, 0.7 l, 1.0 l, 2.0 l, 3.0 l are used in home preparations.

The industry produces special tin lids equipped with narrow rubber rings for sealing glass containers. The diameter of the caps strictly corresponds to the diameter of the neck and most often is 83 mm. Manual sealing machines are used to seal such containers. The canning process in this case is labor-intensive and time-consuming.

In recent years, glass vessels with screw lids have become especially popular among housewives, which greatly facilitate the canning process.

Why are jars sterilized?

Most food products are perishable, that is, they are susceptible to spoilage caused by a variety of microorganisms. All microbes (bacteria, yeast, mold) feed on the same foods as humans. In the process of life, they release gases, acids, and toxins, which contributes to the decomposition of products.

To protect homemade pickles from the penetration of microbes into them, there are a number of methods for creating unfavorable conditions for their life:

• drying;
• cooking;
• freezing;
• pickling, pickling, soaking, salting (creating a bitter, sour, sweet, salty environment to inhibit bacteria).

It should be noted that these methods do not guarantee getting rid of all microbes, since among them there are species that are very resistant to unfavorable conditions.

The most reliable way to get rid of pathogenic bacteria and their spores is sterilization - prolonged heating of products or equipment to higher temperatures (115 - 125 degrees and above).

Microorganisms from the surface of untreated jars or lids can transfer to food and cause spoilage.

Important! Glass containers must be sterilized immediately before sealing.

There are several ways to sterilize jars:

1. boiling in a large saucepan;
2. steam processing (including in a double boiler and multicooker);
3. using a microwave;
4. dishwasher sterilization;
5. using an oven (gas and electric).

On what principle is it carried out?

Regardless of the chosen method, sterilization of jars is carried out according to certain principles:

1. the container should be carefully checked for cracks and chips;
2. it is necessary to check whether the covers are suitable;
3. the prepared container is soaked in soapy water so that dirt and food residues “acidify”;
4. the jars are washed with baking soda in running water;
5. The container is placed upside down on a towel to drain excess moisture.

Attention! Lids must be washed and sterilized, regardless of whether they are new or have already been used.

When sterilizing, it is not recommended to remove the rubber ring from the lids, since it will be difficult to insert it when it is hot. Heat treatment of lids in the oven is not recommended, as the elastic shrinks and the lid becomes deformed. The best option is to immerse the lids in boiling water for a few minutes before sealing the jars.

How to sterilize jars in the oven

Despite the many methods of heat treatment of glass containers that have been invented over the years, the most popular and convenient is sterilization in the oven.

Advantages of this method:

• you can create a temperature above 100 degrees, which will get rid of all types of microbes and their spores;
• the ability to sterilize several jars at the same time, including 3-liter jars;
• cleanliness, absence of steam and high humidity;
• sufficient safety and security of cans;
• the sterilization process is short and labor-intensive;
• No time is wasted on draining water and drying the jars.

What is needed for this

In order to sterilize jars in the oven, no special tools, equipment or skills are required. It is enough to follow the general rules for preparing glass containers for sterilization, do not forget about safety precautions and have oven mittens on hand.

Preparation

How to properly prepare the oven for sterilizing jars:

• Wash the inner surface of the oven before use so that no odors of previously cooked food remain in it;
• remove all foreign objects, leaving only the grill;
• place the grate at such a height that the can can be placed and removed freely;
• the oven should not be hot, it should be heated gradually so that the vessels do not burst;
• Have oven mitts on hand to avoid burns.

Process sequence, time

• The process of sterilizing jars in gas and electric ovens is absolutely identical:
• prepare the containers - check that the lids fit the necks and that there are no cracks or chips;
• wash the jars in soapy water, then with soda, rinse with running water;
• Place on a paper towel to drain excess water;
• place the containers in the oven so that they do not touch each other;
• Turn the oven on low heat first so that heating occurs gradually;
• after 3-4 minutes, increase the temperature to 125-130 degrees;
• after the sterilization time has expired, turn off the oven and open it slightly;
• Remove the cooled jars from the oven, wearing oven mitts, and place on a dry surface.

Without waiting for complete cooling, fill the containers with food and continue the preservation process according to the recipe.

Time required to sterilize glass containers of various capacities:

• 0.5 l – 10 min;
• 0.7 l – 12 min;
• 1.0 l – 15 min;
• 2.0 l – 20 min;
• 3.0 l – 25 min.

The given time values ​​are approximate and depend on various factors, for example, on the number of cans, on the technical characteristics of the oven, etc. Each housewife will calculate them for herself empirically.

How to sterilize jars on the stove

The oldest and most traditional method is to sterilize jars on the stove. For this, take a large saucepan. Water is poured into it, prepared and washed jars and lids are placed. The water gradually heats up and boils. The sterilization time is counted from the moment of boiling.

Using special tongs, the jars are removed from the boiling water and placed bottom up on a cotton towel. After the water has drained and the jars have dried, they are filled with the prepared products.

The most common and familiar method for our grandmothers and mothers is the method of treating containers with steam. A special device with a hole slightly larger in diameter than the neck of the jar is placed on a saucepan or kettle. A jar fits into the hole, bottom up. The water in the saucepan boils, and the steam rises and sterilizes the container. As a result, there are clouds of steam throughout the home, fogged windows and streams flowing from the walls.

What are the differences between both methods of sterilization?

Sterilizing glass jars in the oven and on the stovetop are two of the most common methods for processing home canning containers. What these two processes have in common is only the initial preparatory stage. Otherwise they have nothing in common:

• sterilization is faster in the oven than on the stove due to the higher temperature;
• there is no need to wait for the jars to drain and dry from the oven, unlike sterilization in water and steam;
• you are much more likely to get burned from water or steam than from dry cans from the oven;
• The process of processing glass containers in the oven is more comfortable, since vapor does not accumulate and the humidity in the room does not increase.

Life does not stand still, and our housewives are savvy people, so they came up with many life hacks that greatly simplified the process of processing containers before canning food. Just recently, no one would have thought of sterilizing jars in a microwave oven, slow cooker or dishwasher.

Recently, the process of vacuuming products - vacuum canning - has become increasingly widespread. We know that life without oxygen is impossible. If you pump out the air, microorganisms will be deprived of the opportunity to live and reproduce, which will allow you to preserve the freshness of food for a long time. But, even in this case, there is no escape from washing and sterilizing jars.

Prepare delicious and healthy foods for future use and be healthy!