Between the hustle of yesterday, and some type of hiccup in posting yesterday's post, it came up empty. So, let's try this again.
We recently looked at the Kitchenaid stand mixer, then went out on the road with GPS devices. We'll now go back into the kitchen for a storage idea.
For me, this began after making some Turkey soup following Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Leftovers froze nicely enough, but take up a lot of freezer space. A friend recommended canning. I looked it up, and found the Presto 16 Qt Pressure Canner. From the first day I had this, I was successful in canning my first batch of soup on my first attempt.
"Canning", I had found was a slight misnomer, as I was using glass jars, rather than metal cans. I also learned some things in the process. There are two primary forms of home canning - hot water bath or pressure. Both can be accomplished with the Presto canner. The type of canning depends on the food wished to be preserved. It's important to use mason jars designed for the task, as well. Standard store-bought jelly or sauce jars will shatter under the pressure. Jars can be purchased from about $1 a piece or $5/12 pack and up depending on size and store. In addition to the jars, you will need rings and lids. Metal lids can be purchased for a couple bucks /box and up. Unless specified, like Tattler Reusable Lids, the lids are one-use only. Reusing a lid may not get the right seal, allowing canned food to spoil. It's also handy to have a jar funnel and jar lifter for moving hot jars from the canner to the side to cool off. Ball makes a set that includes jar funnel, jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter and bubble remover for between $5-10 at several retail stores.
What can I do with this?
There are many uses for this - or other pressure canners. I had started with soups, but have used it for other things as well. I've canned taco meat, fajita mix, stews, soups, jams, sauces, and more. This cuts down on freezer space, and future prep time for some foods.
Economical Value?
The initial cost of the canner, for me was about $70, at a retailer nearby. While some store4s like Target and Best Buy sell them online, Walmart appears to carry them in stock on the retail level. In addition to the canner, you'll need jars and lids. The jars will come with rings and lids, initially, so lids will only be a necessity on your second batch. Initial setup may run about $100, or so, depending on how many jars you pick up. This can "pay for itself" though in waste reduction, and cutting down of grocery bills. For instance, using the carcass from a turkey, the broth and meat, plus some vegetables can easily make, perhaps two gallons of turkey soup. This is 16 pint jars. If you compare this to the cost of 16 cans of Chunky or Progresso soup, this could be quite a savings down the line. This also allows you to buy and cook in bulk, and then re-use as needed.
Personally, I think it's a great investment, if you can use it. I've made some pretty good use of this over the past few years. For the craft-minded, the jars open up their own gift-giving possibilities as well (such as putting all fo the dry ingredients for a batch of cookies and tying a wooden spoon and recipe card to the lid).
Thanks for reading this, and I hope it gave you some food for thought. I will repost later on today with the next idea!\
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