Water Bath Canning 101

Water bath canning is a great way to preserve your jams, jellies and other high acid foods for shelf stable pantry storage.  Water bath canning is simply canning high acidity foods in a bath of hot water for a set time.  There is no pressure, there are however some very strict guidelines you need to follow for safe water bath canning.  Follow along as I break down the parts of the canner, and the basics of water bath canning!

Parts of the Canner:

A water bath canner is much simpler to use than a pressure canner.  The canner can really be any pot large enough to accommodate a number of jars, single layered, with a removable rack and a well fitting lid.  There are a wide variety of styles, however, they all need the basic same design.  Whether it is stainless steel, or enamel covered, they need to be large enough to cover the jars by 1-2 inches of water, and still allow another 1-2 inches for boiling room. (see image below) 

There is another type of water bath canner available.  It resembles a large box and it covers two burners on the stove.  This type of canner can be used for larger batches of canning at one time.

The water bath canner should have tall sides, and a sturdy bottom.  Always check and make sure the bottom is not warped before using.  You want to make sure it will be steady on the burner.

Whichever style you choose, make sure it has a rack.  This rack not only provides protection for the jars while boiling, it will also aide in the removing of the jars after boiling.  Most racks will have indentations of the handles so you can rest the rack in an elevated position, holding the jars out of the water without removing from the canner.

The lid of the canner will fit properly, but not have a tight seal.  With water bath canning, you are only wanting to boil the submerged jars for a set time, you are not wanting to pressurize anything.

Which Foods Are Safe to Water Bath, and Which Ones Are Not:

The water bath method is only proven safe for high acid foods.  Foods that are high in acids and that are safe for water bathing are; fruit, fruit butters, jams, jellies, marmalade, pickles and most tomatoes.  Always follow a safe tested recipe to guarantee the food you are canning is safe for the water bath method.  Some of the foods listed, especially tomatoes, will sometimes need to be acidified depending on the use.  If a recipe calls for lemon juice, it is not enough to effect the flavor, it is strictly for acidification purposes and it MUST be included for a safe final product!

Foods that are not safe for water bath canning are; any types of meat, vegetables, soups, broths and sauces.  These foods, even though you might think they have acidity, MUST be pressure canned!

The acid in the foods that are safe for the water bath method prevents the growth of bacteria, all other food must be pressure canned to reach the required temperature to kill the bacteria within the food.

Process of Water Bath Canning:

Every recipe I have used for water bath canning required the food to be cooked, or heated through before placing in the jars, however, there are a few that can be done with raw fruits.  Be sure to always follow safe tested recipes for whatever food you are canning.

I find it a good idea to go ahead and prepare all of my equipment before beginning the cooking of the food to be canned.  This especially proves useful if you are doing a jam or jelly that will require constant stirring.

Fill the canner to about half way with water, and allow it to heat up.  After washing your jars, fill with water from the canner and allow them to heat up in the canner with the water, go ahead and let them boil for 10 minutes they need to be sterilized, then carefully remove the jars just before filling.  Wash the lids and rings you will be using.  For water bath canning, you need to have the jars and lids sterilized, the jars will get done in the canner water. For the lids, simply bring a small pan of water to a simmer and place the lids in the water.  You do not want to simmer the lids for very long, only 10 minutes.

Gather the rest of your supplies, jar lifter, plastic knife or bubble popper, funnel, and etc.

Follow your safe tested recipe for your food item to be water bath canned.

Once you are ready, carefully remove the jars from the canner and fill with desired food up to the required headspace.  If you need to add fresh hot water, or brine to the jar, do so up to the required headspace.  Using the plastic knife, or bubble popper, remove all visible bubbles from around the jar, and if needed, add liquid to bring back up to the required headspace.  This step is not necessary for jams and jellies and other liquid state foods.  Use a damp cloth to wipe the rim of the jar, and place the lid and ring, tighten snugly but do not crank down on it.  Just about finger tight.

Photo Credit: Valerie Angel Cole

Using the jar lifters, carefully place the jars inside the canner.  Once all of the jars are in place, measure how much water is above the lid of the jars.  You will need 1-2 inches for boiling room, this prevents boiling over and water spillage. You can add more water if needed at this point.

The recipe you chose should have a chart, this chart will show you how long to allow the water to boil.  Adjust for your altitude according to the chart (see chart below for reference).  Each recipe will have different times according to what is needed for that food item.  Begin timing when the water reaches a full rolling boil and adjust the heat as needed to maintain the rolling boil.

Once the boil time is ended, carefully remove the lid, making sure the opening is pointed away from your face to prevent any burns from the steam.  Using pot holders, raise the rack and allow to rest in the elevated position.  Let the jars sit like this for 5-10 minutes.

Carefully remove jars from the canner and place on a counter with a towel on it.  The towel will protect the jars from a temperature shock and help prevent breakage.