Sterilization of glass jars on a stove, oven and microwave

During the preparation of preservation from fruits, vegetables and berries, you can not do without sterilizing cans in an oven or other device. A mistake made in the preparation of containers may result in stewed fruit, preserves and pickles being spoiled. You can’t eat such preparations - the risk of poisoning is high. In order not to have to throw away the results of the work, it is important to immediately do everything right.

Preparation of empty containers

You can sterilize the cans in the oven empty and full, but the first option is easier, because it is less time-consuming. It is more convenient to put a container in which there is nothing in the oven, remove and turn it over. True, banks can burst, but this is not excluded if they are full.

Before proceeding with the heat treatment of fruits, you need to select a sufficient amount of the whole container, without cracks and defects on the glass. The surface should be smooth, not allowed the presence of sagging, bubbles, extraneous inclusions. Any defect subsequently becomes a cause of leakage, and canned food spoils. If there are irregularities in the places where the lid adjoins the glass, liquid will flow out from the blanks, and air may get inside.

Selected containers are poured with water and left for 3 hours. During this time, all dried up particles of dirt are soaked, after which it will be easy to wash them. Then the water is drained and a soda solution is prepared - it more efficiently launders the glass than a detergent. In addition, soda is well rinsed, after it there is no smell left, like from soap. Particularly thoroughly need to wash the bottom and neck - pollution in these places often go unnoticed.

Sterilization in the electric oven

If you don’t have a gas oven at home, electric will do. When handling it, you must follow safety precautions, but in general the procedure does not cause difficulties. Before proceeding with pasteurization, the cabinet should be rinsed from the inside and dried so that the containers do not absorb old odors.

You can put containers in the oven both in dry and in wet form. If the vessels are well dried, they are turned neck down. When the glass is wet, the containers are installed on the bottom. During sterilization, all moisture will evaporate. Lids can be sterilized simultaneously with banks. They are laid out on a baking sheet, but not in a stack, but next to it. This method is suitable for metal products, but not for plastic. The former are designed specifically for winter harvesting and can withstand high temperatures, while the latter can deteriorate.

When everything is ready, turn on the electric oven and set the temperature to 150 degrees. This is the optimal mode for sterilization. At 150 degrees, all germs die, and canned fruits will be stored without any problems all winter. Processing time depends on the volume of the vessel - it is indicated in the section below. Counting starts from the moment when the temperature in the oven rises to the desired value. When the required number of minutes has passed, take out the container.

Handle sterilized jars with care, as they are very hot. You can either drop the container or burn your hands. Do not take containers with wet hands, use only dry gloves or gloves. If you touch the glass with something raw, it will burst due to the created temperature difference. Banks need to be taken only by the sides, but in no case by the neck, because it can break off.

Gas oven

The most common type of oven in Russian homes and apartments is gas. Experienced housewives have mastered the sterilization in these devices to the finer points, but beginners have problems. The advantage of the method is that you can sterilize the banks in the oven not one at a time, but in small batches.

Washed containers place their necks down in the oven when it is still cold. You can do otherwise and turn the cans upside down. But then the water after drying will leave light traces, especially if it has increased rigidity. Canned food will not deteriorate from this, but their appearance will deteriorate, and it is desirable that the workpieces look perfect. When the containers are turned upside down, the remaining moisture evaporates during sterilization, resulting in a better heating.

When installing cans in the oven, you need to ensure that they do not touch each other. If you put them close, the glass may crack when heated. This also applies to covers: they should not touch the glass. The air in the oven is not heated sharply, but gradually. First they set the temperature to 150 degrees, and after a while they bring it to 180.

The preparedness of cans by experienced housewives is determined by the state of the glass in the oven window. If it is foggy, it is too early to pull out the containers, and when it is dry - it's time. Before removing the cans, the oven is turned off. Do not wait until it cools completely, just open the door slightly enough so that the glass does not become so hot. Each container is taken with a dry towel, gloves or hands in cloth gloves.

Processing cans with canned goods

Perfectly stored seals sterilized after filling. This method is quite time-consuming, but it guarantees that all microbes will die, including those that got inside when packing jam or pickles. It has been observed that cans sterilized in full form explode very rarely. No need to worry about drying the containers or worrying that they can crack. The process is quite simple and consists in the following:

• The container is filled with preservation, installed in a container with water, so that it reaches approximately to the shoulders, and put in the oven. The lid is not yet covered.
• Set the mode to 150 degrees. When the temperature reaches the desired value, note the time. Cans with a volume of 2 or 3 liters are sterilized for 30 minutes, for liter 15 minutes are enough.
• Immediately after warming up, the container is removed and corked using a sealing key and special covers.
• Billets are installed in a room with a room temperature. You can place them on the floor or on the table, but always upside down. A blanket, a thick blanket or a folded blanket several times are laid on top. This is necessary so that the banks cool down gradually. Sudden cooling is unacceptable, as it can lead to cracking of the glass.
• After 24−26 hours, the containers are transferred to the cellar and installed in a permanent place.

In approximately the same way as in the oven, sterilized cans are sterilized in a multicooker. The disadvantage of this method is that very few containers are placed in the device, and small ones. Warming up takes place in the “Steaming” or “Baking” mode.

Duration of the procedure

It is important not to make a mistake with time, and underestimating and overexposing banks is equally bad. If it is not enough to warm the container, not all microbes will die. Too long sterilization will result in the glass either bursting immediately or cracking later when the canned goods are already in the cellar. From how many minutes to warm glass containers, depends on the volume. Approximate time:

• 3, 4 or 5 l - half an hour;
• 2 l - 20−25 minutes;
• 1 l - 15−17 minutes;
• from 0.5 to 0.9 l - warming up for 10 minutes.

The optimal size of the cans depends on what is stored in them. Keep in mind that eating 3 liters of jam immediately will not work, and even if stored in the refrigerator, the taste in a few days will not be the same as immediately after opening.For salads and soup dressings, they usually take cans of such a volume that preservation is enough for 1 pan of borsch or soup.

For compotes, you can take containers of 2 or 3 liters, depending on the preferences of the family.

Tanks larger than 5 l are only suitable for preserving cabbage, as it can be stored for a long time after opening. It is better not to pickle cucumbers in such jars, as their uncorked taste quickly deteriorates, and the fruits themselves become soft and slippery.

Steam heating and boiling

If the oven does not work or it doesn’t, but you still need to roll up canned food, you can calcine the jar in another way. In the CIS countries, tanks are traditionally heated over steam. This method is convenient and time-tested, but it requires some skill. Procedure:

• put a pot of water on the fire and bring to a boil;
• on top put a store sterilizer or improvised device that lets steam through, on which cans can be placed with their neck down;
• set the container, place the pan on the stove and boil for about 20-25 minutes;
• remove the jar with a dry tack and a towel, place the bottom down on a table covered with a thick cloth;
• put a lid on top;
• take the next container and sterilize in the same way.

This method is not without flaws. If the jars are large, it will take a long time to fry them. During processing, boiling water evaporates from the pan, as a result, the kitchen is filled with steam, the windows are misted. All the time you need to ensure that the container does not fall, especially if instead of a sterilizer a sieve or dumpling is used.

Boiling is another way to warm up. It allows you to fry several cans in one bookmark, you just need to take a large pan. At the bottom put a wooden lattice or doubled double towel. They put the cans upside down and pour water so that it reaches the shoulders. Water is heated over low heat. When it boils, the flame is slightly reduced and sterilized for 15-20 minutes. If the fire is strong, the banks will begin to knock on each other - this should not be allowed.

The boiling point is that the container is inconvenient to get out of hot water. During the procedure, as with steaming, it becomes hot and damp in the kitchen.

Steaming in a microwave and a double boiler

In a microwave and a double boiler, several cans can be steamed at a time. Both methods are good because during processing of containers in the kitchen the temperature does not rise and dampness does not form. Microwave sterilization is performed as follows:

• water is poured into containers at 2-3 cm;
• put them in the device;
• steamed at a power of 700-800 watts for 3 minutes;
• turn off;
• Pull out with tack or towel.

Quickly and without much effort, you can warm glass containers in a double boiler. Processing is performed in the "Cooking" mode. The washed and dried jar is put in a double boiler, turning the neck down, turn on the device for 20 minutes, then turn it off and immediately take out the container. Large cans will not fit in the device, and a few can go small.

A rare method is sterilization in a dishwasher. Not any device is suitable, but only one that washes dishes at temperatures above 60 degrees. You need to load the cans, set the highest temperature and turn it off for 20 minutes. Detergent should not be added. Those who make many blanks every year should consider buying a dishwasher with sterilization function. This is an ideal option without any drawbacks, and bottles can be pasteurized in this way.

From the proposed sterilization methods, you can choose the one that is more suitable. Which is better, one cannot say for sure, because for one housewife it is more important that there is no dampness in the kitchen, and the other wants to do everything as quickly as possible. In any case, the banks will be warmed up well, and the billets will remain until the new harvest, unless they are eaten earlier.