Canning in an oil bath instead of a pressure cooker?

Question

I've looked around but haven't found an answer to this one so maybe someone on here can help.

I do a fair bit of canning with fruits and what-not but wanted to get into more serious stuff like fish, etc. Due to space restrictions and my disinterest in adding another gizmo to sit in the back of my kitchen cupboards for most of the year, I would rather not get a pressure cooker.

If the idea is to get the internal temperature up to 240-250 which is impossible to do with an open pot of water, why not just substitute a cooking oil? It's cheap and I could reuse it for a dozen batches in the fall, then make french fries and be done with it.

Anyone lost an aunt to botulism with this crazy idea or could it possibly work?

Thanks!

Answer

This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen!

Buy the pressure canner, and a good book on canning. Find a place to put them. Don't risk lethal food poisoning, boiling oil burns, and cuts and more burns due to the canning jar violently exploding spraying super heated steam, boiling oil and glass all over you and the kitchen.

Answer

Many pressure canners can also be used for hot water bath canning.

If you are short on space, my advice would be to find one of those, and swap that out with your water bath canner.

Answer

Well now I'm certainly frightened which is probably a good thing. Yes I meant "pressure canner" not cooker, my apologies. Can someone explain to me what a pressure canner does though apart from increase the heat of its contents passed the boiling point of water?

Answer

I think no matter what the external temp is the food in the jar will not be heated higher than the boiling point of water unless you add pressure. Some people can with an oven but this is unsafe for that reason.

Answer

Actually, in theory this would work. The purpose of pressure canning is to raise the temperature of the food to at least 240 deg F. and keep it there long enough to kill any bad stuff in the jars. If you had a large enough kettle, enough oil to at least cover the jars by an inch, and a way to control the temperature it could work. Would I do it? NOT ON A DARE!!! There are just too many ways for something to go wrong and set yourself on fire and/or burn your house up and down. This would surely ruin your day, not to mention the batch of canned goods. Even doing it outside in a turkey fryer is patently stupid. Even if you could pull it off, there is so much clean up after everything cools down, IMO it wouldn't be worth the effort. >>> Due to space restrictions and my disinterest in adding another gizmo to sit in the back of my kitchen cupboards for most of the year, <<< What are you proposing to "process" the jars in? You can buy a Presto canner (with a proper pressure gauge) at Amazon for about 70 bucks (w/free shipping), and it cal also be used as a boiling water canner, and to boil corn and lobsters in. An awful cheap insurance policy IMO.

Answer

I think the jars would blow up, since the contents would be at or over a boil, creating pressurized steam inside the jar that will be not be balanced by pressure outside the jar. Boom.

Answer

My husband and I were just talking about this earlier this evening, when we decided to see if anyone else had ever tried it, lol. I, too, have recently gotten in to canning, but am hesitant to buy another gadget to store. My geek-hubby came up with the idea of oil, too - and we were trying to figure out if it would work. 

After giving it some thought, I think I wouldn't try it - mostly because I'm afraid that when submerging the jars, while the air is being expelled but before there is a good seal, some oil would get in between the rubber seal and the glass - causing an improper seal. Smarter heads than mine might be able to come up with a solution to that. 

If you decide to try it though, I'd do it as a limited run, and store for a few months to see how the seal holds up before trying again. Also if you try it - please post and let us know if it works. :-) 

Regards,
Del

Answer

This treatment is insufficient to kill botulism spores; putting a food item into 250 degree oil at one atmosphere will still leave the boiling point of water at 212 degrees, meaning the interior of the food will be unable to rise beyond that until all of the water in the food is gone(and likely disintegrated). 

The pressure canner works because it can raise the food in question to these temperatures while still maintaining your moisture content.

Answer

If temperature outside the canning jar were the only issue, you could use an oven. You could have the oil/air at 400 degrees and the liquid in the jar will only reach 212 because it will turn to steam at anything higher than that allowing for some variation due to sugar or salt dissolved in it and bubble out of the jar(or if it happened too quickly, explode). That is the reason the jar rings are not tightened down all the way. It requires a closed system with increased pressure to raise the temperature/boiling point to 240. On the other side of the coin less pressure decreases the boiling point. If you live in Denver the boiling point of water is about 10 degrees lower.

Answer

I agree with all the other posters that this is just an incredibly risky and stupid idea for the home canner along the lines of "Hey guys! Hold my beer! Watch this!"

Also, pressure canners vent steam. Vented steam evaporates and goes away. Vented oil, assuming it would vent, would pretty much prevent you from getting close enough to the canner to work with it, not to mention coating everything it lands on (including you). Think of the mess that happens when you cook fried foods. Now multiply that by oil spewed under pressure. And what happens inside the canner when your jars siphon into hot oil? Not to mention the oil will degrade and damage the various seals and gaskets in the canner. Just so don't go there.

Answer

I would really be worried about the jars sealing. In my opinion it's not worth the risk of food loss due to spoilage or illness due to botulism. If you are serious about canning and really want to expand your abilities then you have to go to a pressure canner in my opinion.

Here's a great article from the U of Georgia:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/using_press_canners.html


And here's a link to a review of the All American Canners which I think are the best!

http://reviews.selfsufficiencynews.com/the-all-american-pressure-canner-a-perfect-tool-for-home-canning-and-self-sufficiency

Answer

As an engineer who just had this same idea..... here are my thoughts.....
The jars in normal pressure canning have water inside and out, and equal pressure inside and out....the pressure in the canner keeps the lids from bursting off.
If you did oil canning at 240 the jars would have to hold watery liquid at steam temperatures which would mean they'd hold 10 psi. 10 PSI would burst the jars, probably starting with the lid seals. hot watery liquid bursting into hot oil would make a mild steam explosion and cast oil EVERWHERE. That is my guess without trying it or pressure testing jars. IF the jars can take the pressure then It might work just fine, but it's a risk and they are not designed with that in mind.

Answer

The difference between theory and practice is vast. Yes, you can get oil past 212F easily, and you would think it'd be a satisfactory medium to raise the temperature of your canned goods to 240-250F. As others have said, though, there are two main problems which could lead to disastrous results. First, the oil could interfere with the seals on the jars and prevent a good seal, rendering the whole point of the exercise moot. Second, the steam that escapes from the jars, when it encounters the oil, could get explosive. You don't want that. I mean, you REALLY don't want that. I hope, in the last 11+ years, the OP has purchased a pressure canner.

My bonafides: I'm certified as a Master Food Preserver by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources division.

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Canning in an oil bath instead of a pressure cooker?

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