Pasteurization is a popular process carried out to extend the shelf life of the specific product. In Poland, it’s very popular to can all the food- from kompot and soups to veggies, juices and even meat. Every Polish housewife knows how to do it, as pasteurizing food is pretty easy.
Disclaimer: Use this recipe at your own risk. Canning the food improperly may be dangerous to your health.
What Can Be Pasteurize At Home?
Canning is a process that is carried out in most Polish homes, especially during the summer. The fruits and veggies are fresh, so people do as many preserves as possible to have yummy and healthy food to eat during the winter months.
Here are the most popular Polish food that can be pasteurized:
- veggies (cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.)
- juices (raspberry, tomato, kompot, etc.)
- soups (when pasteurized right, it can stay in the fridge for up to a month)
- meat (see my homemade canned pork recipe)
- any one-pot dishes, such as goulash and leczo
How To Pasteurize Food?
Standard Process of Food Pasteurization
How To Pasteurize Food?
Step by step guide on how to pasteurize food.
Materials
- Clean jars.
- Big pot.
Instructions
- Check whether the jar lids are not damaged in any way. They need to be in perfect condition.
- Sterilize jars and lids with boiling hot water.
- Put the food or liquid into the jar, leaving 1'' of free space from the top of the jar.
- Close the jars. Don't twist too tight.
- Put the dishcloth on the bottom of the pot.
- Put the jars into the pot. The jars cannot touch each other and the sides of the pot.
- Pour the water until it covers 3/4 of the jars. The temperature of the water should match the temperature of the jars. If they are cold, the water should be cold as well.
- Boil the water with jars for 30-40 minutes. Be sure that the temperature is not too high, jars can't jump or touch each other.
- Carefully take the jars out of the pot using oven mitts or canning jar lifter.
- Put them upside down and wait until they cool off. If you want to make sure the pasteurization process went right, you can cover the jars with the blankets to enhance the effect.
- Pasteurized food and drink can be stored in a dark, cold place for up to a year.
Quick Process of Food Pasteurization
Heat up any fresh food until it’s boiling hot. Put it in the clean, sterilized jars and close them.
Put the jars upside down on the kitchen table and cover them with blankets. When they are cold, move them to the fridge. Most food can be stored like that for 2-3 weeks.
How To Check Whether The Food Is Pasteurized Right?
1. The Lid Is Not Buckled
When your jars have buckled lids, it means that the canning process went wrong.
2. You will see the mold on the food.
Mold is always a sign to throw away the food. Even if it’s a tiny piece of the entire jar, don’t eat it.
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