Rec.food.preserving Official FAQ

Version 5.0.1, Last Updated: 2-14-11

Table of Contents

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

for the rec.food.preserving newsgroup

TABLE OF CONTENTS

0. About Rec.Food.Preserving and this FAQ, Charter and Introduction (Part 1)

1. General Info
2. Contributors
3. Where can I get this faq?
4. Info about the rec.food.preserving newsgroup
5. What to do if you don't have access to rec.food.preserving newsgroup?

I. The techniques of food preserving (Parts 2-6)

1. General Questions

A.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about home canning?
A.1.2 I made/got some home-preserved foods as a gift. How do I check them for safety?
A.1.3 Is home canning safe?
A.1.4 What foods can be canned, and what foods shouldn't be home canned?
A.1.5 pH determinations of common foods and condiments.
A.1.6 What does canning entail?
    - Canning Fruits (Peaches)
    - Canning Tomato-Vegetable Juice Blends
A.1.7 Where do I get the Ball Blue Book? And the USDA Canning Guide?
A.1.8 What if my recipe doesn't have processing instructions?
A.1.9 Where can I find my elevation, so I can change my processing time?
A.1.10 How do I obtain a good stable jel (or 'set')?
 

2. Recipe Templates and Tricks

A.2.1 Sweet spreads 101, from Barb Schaller
A.2.2 "Scientific" low sugar jams
A.2.3 Fruit Butters in general, apple butter in particular
A.2.4 Conserves in general, Kitchen Sink Conserve in particular
A.2.5 Fruit Preserves in general, Pear Preserves in particular
A.2.6 Marmalade
A.2.7 Tea Jelly
A.2.8 Flower Jelly in general, Rose Petal Jelly in particular
A.2.9 Canning Cake and Quick Breads - Don't Do It!
 

3. General Ingredient Questions

A.3.1 Why do some recipes call for a little butter/margarine?
A.3.2 Sugar
A.3.3 I need some good sources for pectins...
A.3.4 Where I can I find citric acid?
A.3.5 Where can I find Clear Gel/Jel A?
 

4. General Equipment Questions

A.4.1 What kind of equipment do I need to can foods at home? Don't you need a lot of stuff?
A.4.2 What's a preserving pan?
A.4.3 My grandmother always reused commercial jars and sealed her jars using paraffin. Should I do this too?
A.4.4 Can I invert jars instead of doing that nasty waterbath thing? (No).
A.4.5 The dishwasher sterilizes jars, right? (Nope).
A.4.6 What about zinc rings, rubber sealed jars, and other great but antique canning equipment?
A.4.7 Ball or Kerr?
A.4.8 Rings on the jar, or off?
A.4.9 What if I don't hear a pop from my jars?
A.4.10 I'm really cheap. How can I reuse my old canning lids?
A.4.11 How do I use a pressure canner safely and effectively?
A.4.12 I'd like some sources for non-standard size canning jars, decorative bottles, large sized rings, and other items that I just can't find in the usual places.
 

5. Troubleshooting

A.5.1 My jars refuse to seal! Some of my preserved food is turning colors! What is happening?
A.5.2 My jams and jellies didn't set. How can I reprocess?
A.5.3 Anybody have a way to loosen up stiff jelly?

1. General Questions

B.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about freezing?
B.1.2 So what foods can be frozen well?
B.1.3 What's this blanching stuff, anyway?
B.1.4 More about freezing meat, especially wild game.
B.1.5 How do I freeze (your item here), and how long can I reasonably expect it to keep?
B.1.6 Should I vacuum package food at home?
B.1.7 I'm looking for an appliance to vacuum seal food. Any recommendations?
B.1.8 Now that we found out that a Seal-A-Meal is worth having...where in the world do you find supplies?
B.1.9 How would I go about preserving/mailing baked goods (cookies, pastries...) from both going bad and breaking up into crumbs?
B.1.10 Mushroom duxelles

1. General Questions (compliments of Steven Kostur)

C.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about dehydrating food?
C.1.2 What foods dehydrate well?
C.1.3 Dehydrating Specific Items

• Pistachio Nut (and other seeds)
• Sundried tomato
• Dried Cranberries
• Jerky/Beef Sticks
• Dehydrator Tomato Paste
• Parched Corn and Beans
• Dried Tofu


2. General Equipment Questions (compliments of Steven Kostur)

C.2.1 I need some advice on a dehydrator. What should I look for? General Advice & Specific Brands
C.2.2 I've heard you can make a dehydrator yourself. Got any info?

1. General Questions

D.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about pickling?
D.1.2 What is the process for making dill pickles?
D.1.3 What makes pickles kosher?

2. General Equipment Questions

D.2.1 What does it take to make pickles? Do you need special equipment?
D.2.2 What's a non-reactive container?
D.2.3 Where can I find pickle crocks?
 

3. Troubleshooting

D.3.1 I followed this pickle recipe, but they don't look like they do in the store. What happened? Can I still eat them?
 

4. Recipes
• Transylvanian salt-cured vegetables
• Middle Eastern mixed pickles
• Polish pickles (ogorki kiszone/kwaszone)
• 3-Day Lime Pickle
• Real New York deli pickles
• Kimchee (3 recipes)
• Pickled ginger
• Zucchini relish/pickles (2 recipes)
• Dill Tomolives
• Green Tomatoes Rovia
• Pickled Garlic

1. General Questions

E.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about curing foods, and what makes this different from pickling?
 

2. Lye and Mud curing items

E.2.1 What is posole?
E.2.2 What are 1000 year old preserved eggs?

1. General Questions

F.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about smoking food?

1. Meat Curing and Smoking (compliments of Richard Thead)

Curing (Meats)
• Why is meat cured?
• What is osmosis?
• What is meant by "the danger zone"?
• What is botulism?
• What are the commonly used curing compounds?
• Where can these compounds be obtained?
• What is spray pumping?
• What's trichinosis?
• If my cured pork doesn't reach a safe temperature, what about trichinosis?
• What about dry-curing sausages and meats?

Smoking (Meats)
• What is the difference between smoke cooking and curing?
• What are the proper temperatures for smoke cooking meat?
• How important is temperature control during smoke curing?
• Is closing down the air inlet dampers a good way to keep the temperature down?
• What are the various woods used for smoking?

Specific Foods
• Can I make a Smithfield Ham at home?
• How do I make my own bacon at home?
• How do I make my own corned beef?
• What is pastrami and how do I make my own?
• How do I make beef jerky?

Other Miscellaneous
• Sausage
• Dry curing sausage chemistry
• Salami
• Where do I find kosher sausage casings?
• Sources for wood chips for smoking


2. Vegetable/Fruit Curing and Smoking
• How do I cure olives?
• Middle Eastern/Indian salt cured lemons and limes (4recipes)
• How do I smoke chiles?
• How do I smoke blueberries/garlic?


3. Fish Curing and Smoking
• What do I need to know about smoking a fish?
• Smoked Salmon (2 recipes)
• Lox, Nova Lox, and Gravlax (2 recipes)


4. Sugar Curing/Candying
• Sugar curing and candying items
• Candying citrus peels
• Candying fruits
• Candying flowers

   G. Distilling (Part 6)

1. General Questions

G.1.1 What is distilling anyway?
 

2. How to make vinegars

G.2.1 Vinegar from wine
G.2.2 Flavored vinegars?
 

3. So, does anyone know how sour grapes are converted to verjuice?
4. Garlic (chiles, herbs, sundried tomatoes, etc) in oil
5. Liqueurs

G.5.1 Fruit Cordials, Intro
G.5.2 Fruit cordials, Raspberry, blackberry, cherry
 

6. Brandied Fruit
7. Vanilla Extract
8. Dandelion wine

   H. Root Cellaring and Storage of Staples (Part 6)

1. General Questions

H.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about root cellaring?
H.1.2 How long do stored items last?
 

2. How can I preserve staples (flour, etc) for long term storage?

H.2.1 The dry ice method
H.2.2 Packing in nitrogen gas
 

3. Preserving Garlic. Probably the most asked question in r.f.p.

   I. Preserving Dairy Products (Part 6)

1. Where can I find rennet? And other cheesemaking items?
2. How to make ...

I.2.1 Butter
I.2.2 Devonshire Clotted Cream
I.2.3 Stirred Curd-Cheddar Recipe

II. Specific Equipment Questions (Part 7)

1. General Questions

A.1.1 I see canners of different sizes. Why get the biggest one?
A.1.2 What do I need to know about a waterbath canner?
A.1.3 What do I need to know about weighted and dial gauges?
A.1.4 I got this pressure canner (not cooker!) as a gift. How do I take care of it?
A.1.5 Weight "jiggle" problems.
A.1.6 Cleaning my pressure canner.
A.1.7 Where can I find canning equipment parts?
A.1.8 What about zinc rings, rubber sealed jars, and other great, but antique canning equipment?
A.1.9 1/2 gallon jars. How to find, and what to do with them?

1. Where can I find a premade dehydrator?
2. Where can I find plans for homemade dehydrators?

B.2.1 Tabletop Dehydrator
B.2.2 Solar Dehydrator Plans
B.2.3 Electric Dehydrator
B.2.4 Dryer Plans from University Extension Services

1. Where can I find plans for a homemade smoker?

1. What are the guidelines to increase food safety when using cutting boards?

D.1.1 From the University of Minnesota Extension Service
D.1.2 Similar statements can aslo be found at the FDA site
D.1.3 A slightly stronger bleach solution
D.1.4 Another opion from Bob Pastorio

III. Tips 'N Tricks (Part 7)

1. Fruit fly trap
2. Faster way to chop citrus peels for marmalade
3. Using ascorbic acid
4. A jelly bag for emergencies
5. How to reach the jelly stage/the fork test
6. Keeping powdered pectin from lumping up
7. Canning rack
8. Tips and tricks for drying foods in the oven
9. Mini-dehydrator
10. Getting fruit leather off the sheet
11. Mashing cabbage for sauerkraut
12. The easy way to wash cukes
13. Cheesecloth for skimming brine
14. Keeping pickled peppers crisp
15. Food-grade plastics
16. Keeping outside fermenting items a secret from the neighbors
17. Sources of wood chips (making them yourself)
18. Beef Stick Tips

IV. Spoilage & Toxins, Especially Botulism (Part 8)

1. General Questions

A.1.1 I've got some bad jars. What did I do wrong?
A.1.2 Unsealed Jars and Spoiled Food--What To Do?

V. Recipe Caveats and Troubleshooting (Part 9)

1. General Questions

A.1.1 I just got a recipe from rec.food.preserving that I'd like to try. Is it safe to make?
A.1.2 Most of the recipe measurements posted here are not metric. Can you help me?
A.1.3 Find out the elevation of your town (US).
A.1.4 Help! What's a peck? Uncommon English measurements.
 

2. I got some recipes from my grandparents/or from somebody in r.f.p. Are they safe? How can I make them safe?

VI. Full recipe listing (Part 9)

1. Dairy Products
2. Dried Foods
3. Jams/Jellies/Conserves/Marmelades
4. Liqueurs

VII. Other Sources (besides this FAQ) (Part 9)

• This FAQ doesn't tell me what I need to know!
• USENET
• Internet Sites
• General Reference Books
• Specific Techniques and Interests
• Books and Guides to Equipment
• Food Preserving Books of Historic Interest
• Pamphlets
• Magazines
• Phone

The cook was a good cook, as all cooks go; and as all cooks go, she went.   --Saki