The second half of summer is an equally important period for gardeners and gardeners. Planting does not require much attention both in spring and early summer. However, the harvest is ripening. And it is important not only to remove it in time, but also to keep it.
Unfortunately, vegetables, berries and fruits have a very limited shelf life. Therefore, they can only be preserved through processing and through conservation. The preservation process is aimed at stopping the vital activity of fungi, bacteria and microbes that cause food to rot.
Any process, including conservation, requires compliance with the mandatory rules: the purity of products and containers, the time spent on their heat treatment.
The successful preservation of food is largely determined by the sterility of the dishes. There are many different methods of sterilization. However, most of them, for one reason or another, have a number of disadvantages. Sterilization of cans in a gas stove oven is:
- 100% reliable method that kills pathogenic microflora;
- It takes from 10 minutes to half an hour;
- You can immediately process the required number of required jars;
- The method is simple, even those hostesses who have little experience in harvesting can handle it.
Preparing cans for sterilization
Jars that will be exposed to high temperatures in a gas oven should be inspected for external damage. They should be free of chips, cracks. External damage, perhaps, will not cause even more damage to the container, however, it will break the tightness of the canned food, which will cause spoilage.
You should also check the jars for compatibility with the lids. The caps should fit well when screwed on. You can check by pouring water into a jar, tightening the lid, wiping it well, and turning it upside down. Not a drop of liquid should leak out.
Screw capsthat will be sterilized in the oven should not have stains, traces of metal destruction, irregularities, deformation that can cause damage to the workpieces.
Glass jars that have metal fittings, clamps cannot be oven sterilized.
The next step in preparing cans before sterilizing in the oven of a gas stove is to wash them. Experienced housewives recommend using proven detergents: soda or laundry soap, which have additional disinfectant properties, do not leave streaks, and are well washed off.
In the presence of heavy dirt or residues from previous workpieces, it is recommended to pre-soak the jars in warm or hot water with the addition of detergents for 1-2 hours.
To wash jars intended for long-term storage blanks, use a sponge that you use to wash only such containers or put a new sponge into circulation, as the used ones can retain fat residues, food particles, which will inevitably violate sterility.
Watch a helpful video:
Sterilization process
Prepared clean jars are placed in a cold oven at a short distance from each other to avoid possible damage.
It doesn't really matter how the cans stand: on the bottom or on the neck. If you put the cans in the oven immediately after washing, then it is better to put them upside down, so limescale does not form inside, which is harmless to future workpieces, it just looks ugly.
Light a fire at low power to gradually heat the jars.The thermometer should be at 50 ° C for about 5-10 minutes, then the gas power should be added to increase the temperature to 180 ° C by the same amount.
Time to sterilize empty cans in oven gas stove:
- Jars with a volume of 0.5 l to 0.75 l - 10 minutes;
- 1 liter jar - 15 minutes;
- From 1.5 L to 2 L - 20 minutes;
- 3 L jars - 30 minutes;
- Covers - 10 minutes.
After the end of sterilization, turn off the oven and slightly open it so that the dishes cool slightly. Do not wait for the cans to cool completely, because, firstly, the whole point of the process is lost: the cold surface of the cans ceases to be sterile, bacteria, microbes, and fungi colonize it again. And secondly, it is safer to lay out hot workpieces in warm or hot containers.
Then, armed with potholders or a towel, which must be absolutely clean and completely dry, you can take out the cans, placing them not on the bare surface of the table, but on the covered with a towel. Further, the jars can be filled with prepared foods.
Gas oven sterilization is also suitable for filled jars. They are placed in a cold oven, the gas is turned on and the temperature is set to 150 ° C. It will take some time to observe the workpieces: as soon as bubbles appear, which rush up, you can set the timer for the required time:
- 0.5-0.75 liter jars stand for 10 minutes;
- 1 liter - 15 minutes;
- 1.5-2 liter 20 minutes;
- 3 liter 25-30 minutes.
In order not to waste time waiting for the appearance of bubbles, you can do otherwise: the gas in the oven is turned on at medium power. In 5 minutes the oven will warm up to 50 ° С, then the gas should be added for another 5 minutes to a temperature of 150 ° С. Then, after turning off the oven, use the residual heat for another 5-10 minutes. Following this, the jars can be removed for further sealing.
The jars are taken out, immediately rolled up with sterile lids and placed under a blanket to cool gradually.
Conclusion
Sterilization in a gas oven increases the safety of winter blanks. Most of us don't have a cold basement to store them. Usually a closet in an ordinary city apartment becomes a storage place. Due to the high temperatures, germs and pathogenic bacteria are destroyed, thereby increasing the shelf life of processed foods. The method is not only reliable, but also very simple in technical execution, saves time, which is very valuable in the summer.
