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.Canning Equipment List

Source of Recipe

Jan Roberts-Dominguez


Maybe this is your first season as a food preserver, or maybe you've decided you're tired of just getting by and have decided to invest in a complete arsenal of the essentials. At any rate, here's what an adequately stocked canning kitchen should have:

• Canning jars:

Made from tempered glass; preferably the wide-mouth or regular Mason-type home-canning jars, threaded, with self-sealing lids.

• Self-sealing lids:

They are made by several manufacturers and can be used interchangeably with any of your home-canning jars (i.e., Kerr-manufactured jars can be used with Ball-manufactured lids). The lids consist of a flat metal disk and a metal screw band. The disks are coated on the underside with a rubber sealing compound and cannot be reused. The metal screw bands, on the other hand, are reusable as long as they are not bent or rusted.

• Boiling water canner:

Made of aluminum or porcelain-covered steel. They have removable perforated racks and fitted lids. The canner must be deep enough so that at least 1 inch of briskly boiling water will cover the tops of jars during processing -- without spilling out onto the stove. If you have an electric range, be sure and use a boiling-water canner with a flat bottom (some canners do not have flat bottoms).

• Pressure canner:

If you plan to can low-acid foods this season, you'll need one. Models made before the 1970s were heavy-walled kettles with clamp-on or screw-on lids. They were fitted with a dial gauge, a vent port in the form of a petcock or counterweight, and a safety fuse. Modern pressure canners are lightweight, thin-walled kettles; most have screw-on lids. Also, they have a jar rack, gasket, dial or weighted gauge, an automatic vent-cock lock, a steam vent that's closed with a counterweight or weighted gauge, and a safety fuse.

• Wide-mouthed canning funnel:

Helps prevent spills and keeps jar rims clean. They are specially designed to fit inside the mouth of regular and wide-mouthed canning jars.

• Jar tongs or lifters:

Fit snugly around the necks of jars so you can lift them in and out of boiling water baths easily and safely.

• Additional canning aids:

Some of the items are already in your kitchen. However, in order to streamline the canning process, I've purchased separate ones so they can all be stored together with my canning supplies.

-- long-handled spoons
-- measuring cups and spoons
-- 1-minute interval timer
-- pot holders
-- rubber spatula
-- colander
-- sieve
-- ladles
-- vegetable peeler
-- thermometer
-- melon baller or pear corer