There are some basic rules in the kitchen that must be applied to the letter. They don't concern recipes, but hygiene . If you are at home and you are preparing food – for yourself or for others – you must pay attention not only to the taste, but also to the fact that be uncontaminated food .
A principle that your favorite restaurant and pizzeria follow, or should follow. Wouldn't you like to find something in your dishes that will keep you glued to the toilet for the rest of the week? Well, here's an article on how. sterilize the preserves.
How to sterilize jars
Have you made jam, sauce, or vegetables in oil? Know that to safely store these preserves you must: sterilize the jars. There are various methods and to implement them all you will have to do is use elements already present in your kitchen.
Sterilize in a pot
The first method we are talking about is the most classic one: how to sterilize jars in pot. It takes more time, but the results are very reliable:
- Take the largest pot you have and place a clean tea towel on the bottom.
- Place the jars and lids into the pot.
- Take another tea towel and place it over the jars: this will prevent them from breaking when they touch each other.
- Cover everything with cold water and start boiling on very low heat for thirty minutes.
- Turn off and let cool.
- Once everything is at room temperature, take the jars and let them dry on a clean tea towel, upside down.
Sterilize in the oven
- If you don't have time, then try the oven sterilization method.
- Turn it on to 100°, waiting for it to reach them.
- Place the jars inside for just five minutes.
- Turn off the oven, let the jars cool inside, and just before taking them out, put on the lids.
Sterilize in the microwave oven
Yes, it works even if you have a microwave. Unfortunately, you won't be able to put the lids in; that requires a separate method. This process, however, is excellent for hot preserves, like jams. After filling the jar with the boiling mixture, you'll need to turn it upside down to cool. This will sterilize the lid. Remember to:
- Put very little water in each jar before putting them in the microwave without the lids.
- Let it heat until boiling.
- Remove the jars, discard the water.
- Let them dry upside down on a clean cloth.
Sterilize in the dishwasher
Do you have a dishwasher? Great, then you're spoiled for choice when it comes to methods. You can even sterilize bottle caps in it:
- Wash the jars and lids and let them dry completely upside down.
- Always put them in the dishwasher, upside down. Remember, the dishwasher must be empty.
- Select a high-temperature program and run it for a few minutes.
- Once you're done, rinse them with vinegar and then put them back in the dishwasher for another round on high heat.
- At this point, the usual procedure: take them out, leave them upside down on a tea towel until they are dry.
Be careful with vacuum packing
- The last recommendation we want to make: know that to preserve everything in maximum safety you must create a vacuum.
- Preserves and jams: Fill the jars while they're hot, take the lid and press firmly but not too hard (otherwise it will crack). Turn upside down and let cool.
- Vegetables: they must all be covered in oil or vinegar.
- Lid trick: To make sure you've created a vacuum, press the center of the lid with your finger. If you feel a depression, good job. If not, there's air in the jar. Try again!
