The Great American Tradition of Canning: How Do I Do It?

What Is Canning Fruit and Vegetables All About?

Canning fruit and vegetables is one of those great traditions that has entered the memories of generations of families. There is something so rustic and enjoyable about those hours spent canning vegetable juice or canning fruit juices, and it's not just the knowledge that you will have the finest canned fruits and vegetables without the chemicals, preservatives and additives of commercial canning. And there is so much that can be canned, with asparagus, beans, carrots, peas, pumpkin and tomatoes being amongst the most popular. Plus, if you are canning juices, you do not need a special tomatoe canning juicer, a fresh fruit canner or canning juice extractors: you can use your current juicer, juice extractor or juice Steamer (like the Mehu-Liisa juice Steamer.)

What Canning Supplies Do I Need?

Canning is very easy and requires few canner Supplies (check http://juicers.organic-knowledge.com/juicer-store.htm for great canning Supplies). The two main items are the jars with lids and the canner. There are two types of canner: a Pressure Canner and a Water Bath Canner. Pressure Canners work at a higher heat are therefore better when used for low acid Foods such as meat and poultry and vegetables like beans, corn and carrots. Water Bath Canners work at the boiling point of water and are good for high acid Foods such as jellies and fruits. Canning is the process in which Foods are placed in jars or cans and heated to a temperature that destroys microorganisms and inactivates enzymes.

How Do I Can Tomatoes, Fruits and Vegetables?

Prepare the food you are going to can by washing it first. Then peel, slice, pit or blend it as per your recipe. Remove skins, such as tomato skin, as the skins can become tough. Scalding should do the Job. You can then make a choice of whether to hot pack or cold pack, again depending on the recipe. Hot packing is when the food is placed into the jar hot. The jar is then placed into the canner with boiling water to prevent the glass from breaking. With cold packing, the raw food is placed in the jar before being put into hot water in the canner. The water is then boiled. The jars are kept in the canner for the required amount of time, and that's it!

Canning Sounds Great Fun!

So, to recap, canning is a fun, safe method of food preservation that is even more enjoyable when done with friends or family. Canning is a bit more work than freezing, but once done, all you need to do is store it. And it doesn't need thawing and Cooking to eat. The equipMent is cheap to buy and operate, and you really don't need much in the way of supplies. Home canning is a healthy way to fill your pantry with home cooked, preservative-free recipes such as soups, vegetables, baby food and so much.

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The Benefits of Using Masticating Juicers

The official definition of the term "masticate" is chewing or teeth-gnashing. Based on this definition, a masticating juicer clearly performs a chewing function, particularly on fruit and vegetable fibers, so that a juice drink rich with pulp could be produced. The pulp-laden juice is unsurprisingly full of nutrients, including vitamins, trace minerals, fibers and enzymes.

Generally, masticating juicers are not as Fast as other juicers. They perform a fewer number of rotations per minute. Because they have slower speeds, they can produce higher amounts of pulp-rich juice with lesser noise and foam levels. Additionally, with lower speed, less heat is produced. Therefore, there is less heat transfer. It is important to minimize heat transfer because a warm juice is a good medium for microorganisms. By reducing heat transfer, masticating juicers help prevent bacterial growth and allow longer storage times.

Masticating juicers are also designed with additional features in mind. These juicers are able to produce ground meat, sorbet, nut-based butters, fresh Pasta and baby Food, while other juicer models can only accommodate fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the former can deal with tougher or denser fruits and vegetables.

When one purchases this type of juicer like Hamilton Beach 932 commercial citrus juicer black or Jack LaLanne juicer there are two options - the single gear model and the dual gear model. Predictably, a single gear model costs less because it is made of polycarbonate-based augers. On the other hand, a dual gear model is costlier because it has stainless steel augers. However, this material also makes a dual gear model sturdier and more resistant. This is the reason why many consumers prefer dual-function juicers.

Using masticating juicers also have a drawback. Because of the slower rotating speed, more time is needed to produce juice. With slower juice production rates, they are not the ideal models for a person looking for a way to create juice quickly. However, this drawback can be balanced by the fact that these units have simple designs and are easy to clean. It is now known to everyone that regular consumption of natural juice greatly benefits a person's health. People are becoming increasingly aware of drinking these healthy products. As home-made juices become more popular, better and more efficient designs of juicers which can produce larger amounts of juice will be available in the near future.

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Stand Mixers - The Kitchen's Busiest Appliances

There is a distinct possibility the stand mixer is the most useful appliance to be found in any kitchen, from the family kitchen to that found in the finest restaurants.

November 17, 1885, was a moMentous day in the history of labor-saving kitchen appliances. On that day, inventor Rufus M. Eastman received the first patent issued for an electric mixer which could use mechanical power, water power, or electrical power.

African-American inventor Willie Johnson was responsible for the 1884 design of an eggbeater powered by a driving wheel in connection with an arrangeMent of gears and pulleys which turned a set of beaters, blades, or stirrers.

Appliance companies such as Bosch, KitchenAid, and Sunbeam were quick to expand upon Johnson's idea, turning to the production of multipurpose kitchen gadgets.

The prototype electric mixers were anything but graceful; they were large and bulky and looked more at home in a factory than in the home kitchen. By the 1930s, at least a dozen companies were turning out electric mixers, of which the two best known were the Hobart/Kitchen/Aid and the Sunbeam Mixmaster.

The model M4A Sunbeam Mixmaster, first introduced in 1930, had a flowing silhouette in comparison to the ungainly outlines of its competitors. This sleek machine became so popular its name "Mixmaster" became synonymous with "stand mixer," just as "Jell-O®," "Kleenex®," and "Band-Aid®" are to gelatin dessert, facial tissue, and any first-aid bandage.

The new stand mixer was not merely just a gadget to amuse a cook; rather, it was a composite of gadgets which were copacetic with one another. Sunbeam originally advertised the Mixmaster as capable of performing a variety of tasks, provided the appropriate attachments were available.

A craze for household mechanization began to sweep the nation in the late 1800s. Servants were leaving domestic service in droves to enter the general work force. The Depression and World War II disrupted life everywhere. Many domestic workers filled Jobs in factories and such, which up to then, were held by the men who were off to war. Because of the perceived "servant shorTAGe," middle- and upper-class womanhood turned to do their own housework, especially in the kitchen. They were anxious to find kitchen appliances that could save time, money, and energy.

In 1908, engineer Herbert Johnson, president of the Hobart Manufacturing Company of Troy, Ohio, fabricated a device that could ease the workload wherever Food was involved. After Watching a baker using a metal spoon to mix bread dough, he tinkered around until he came up with a mechanical version; by 1915, Hobart's 80-quart mixer was part of the standard inventory on all United States Navy vessels plus he had his foot in the door of many commercial bakeries.

By 1918, KitchenAid's management was doing tasting trials in their own homes. The machines were such a success, legend has it, that one of the management's wives gave it a glowing recommendation: "all I know is it's the best kitchen aid I've ever had."

By 1919, the Hobart Company had become KitchenAid and was merchandizing a "Food preparer" (stand mixer) suitable for the home kitchen. It was very large at 65 pounds and very expensive: 9.50 (equivalent to around 00 in the early 2000s). However, in 1936, industrial designer Egmont Ahrens trimmed down both the mixer's size and especially its price TAG to .

This new kitchen appliance was an adaptation of the 1908 commercial stand mixer and featured a groundbreaking design known as "planetary action;" the action blends the ingredients all the way to the edges of the bowl. The bowl never needs to be manually rotated.

Early sales of the KitchenAid mixer by retailers were rather slow. Perhaps the businesses were being overly cautious about a new and expensive appliance. Hobart/KitchenAid created a mobil work force, made mostly of women, to approach the public by door to door, demonstrating the wonders of the new food preparation tool. Perhaps KitchenAid thought a woman talking to another woman about this new product would be more of an intimate sales approach. The citrus juicer and food grinder attachments, first available in 1919, made the stand mixer even more attractive.

In 1937, KitchenAid introduced fully interchangeable attachments, a wise marketing ploy. The concept is still being utilized in the 21st century. For example, the 1919 pea shucker attachment, although not available anymore, will still fit today's model.

The title of an "American Icon" has been conferred upon the KitchenAid stand mixer by the Smithsonian Institution Museum in Washington, DC, where the mixer is on display as an important force in American family life.

KitchenAid may have been the first group to manufacture the electric standing mixer but the greatest degree of consumer acceptance went to the Sunbeam Mixmaster, invented by Ivan Jepson. His Mixmaster was patented in 1928 and 1929, and was first mass- marketed in May, 1930.

Jepson was able to create a mixer for Sunbeam that sold for a fraction of the KitchenAid machine's price. (In the early 1930s, the Sunbeam mixer retailed for a mere .25 [0 in the early 21st century], as opposed to the hefty 9.50 for the KitchenAid.)

Jepson, a Swede, emigrated to the United States. Arriving in the country in 1925, he sought employment in Chicago, at the Chicago Flexible Shaft Company, parent company to Sunbeam. The company expansion was for increased kitchen appliance production and Jepson became Sunbeam's head designer by 1930.

By 1940, many years ahead of its time, Jepson's Mixmaster was capable of a multitude of tasks: it could squeeze juice, shell peas, peel fruit, press Pasta, grind meat, and grind coffee beans as well as open tin cans, sharpen knives, and polish silverware. It also had a mayonnaise oil dropper attachment, ostensibly controlling oil flow into the juicer bowl.

DID YOU KNOW?When thick batter or dough crawls its way up toward the mixer head, "dough creep" occurs, possibly endangering the gears or potentially throwing dough or batter up and out of the bowl, splattering everything in sight. Apparently, the mixer has a mind of its own. The mixer head (handle and motor) can be totally removed from the stand mixer, thus serving as a hand mixer. The Chicago Flexible Shaft Company (parent company of Sunbeam) also made tools for grooming farm animals. Somehow, I don't see the connection! The KitchenAid "Artisan" stand mixer (probably KitchenAid's most popular and least expensive model) comes in 22 distinct colors which are applied with a spray-on powder rather than paint. The KitchenAid "Artisan" can be assembled by hand in the factory in a remarkable 26-second cycle. The product name - "Mixmaster," by Sunbeam, has become generic for all mixers. In 1998, the U.S. Postal Service printed a series of stamps highlighting the most memorable trend of each decade of the 20th century. Mixmaster was chosen as the most authoritative image to represent the household conveniences of the 1930s. Do not confuse mixers with blenders. They are two totally different devices. Blenders have sharp blades and usually work at Faster rates which chop, liquefy, or fragment larger food items into smaller pieces; a mixer works much more slowly and has no blades.

KitchenAid Attachments:Ice Cream Maker: Fits all KitchenAid stand mixers. Put the bowl in the freezer for 18 to 24 hours before the first use. It takes 30 minutes to make soft-serve ice cream; firmer consistency takes an additional 1 to 2 hours in the freezer. Makes up to 2 quarts. Fruit and Vegetable Strainer: Can use only soft or precooked vegetables and fruits in this attachment. If seeds are too large to be processed properly, they will clog the screen. It is not recommended to attempt to strain blackberries,raspberries, and most grapes because of the seed problem. You do not have to peel or core your produce before putting it through the strainer; the strainer cone will separate the waste from the usable food. Pureed fruit or vegetables work their way down the strainer tray and waste is culled from the end of the strainer cone. Pasta Roller Set: Fits all KitchenAid stand mixers. Consists of 3 pieces - a roller for kneading and rolling the fresh Pasta to the desired thickness, a fettucine cutter to make strands of medium breadth, and a linguini fine cutter for still thinner noodles. They all easily attach and detach from the stand mixer's hub. After use, it is suggested the attachment be Air-dried and then gently whisked with a small cleaning brush in order to remove any dried-on dough that might be hiding from sight. Accessory Pack with Roller Slicer/Shredder: Consists of a food grinder with both fine and coarse grinding plates. The grinder is able to process raw and cooked meats, cheeses, dried fruits, and firm vegetables; it attaches to the hub. A slicer/shredder comes with 4 chrome-plated steel cones (thin slicer and thick slicer, fine shredder, coarse shredder). These cones are capable of cutting large amounts of vegetables, including making hash browns, shoestrings, or scalloped potatoes. This attachment also Fastens onto the power hub. Finally, the strainer attachment, which attaches over the grinder, strains and purees vegetables and fruits. Can Opener: Effectively and safely opens virtually any size can. Attaches to the front of the mixer; fits all KitchenAid stand mixers. Juice Extractor: Pulp and seeds are efficiently trapped in the stainer, leaving pure juice ready for consumption. Fastens to the front of the mixer. Grain Mill: Great for making your own homemade breads, cereals, or tortillas. Low-moisture grains can be ground to any desired texture from fine to coarse; wheat, corn, and rice can give you a great variety of breads, Made of stainless steel, the grain mill attaches to the front of the mixer. To ensure lasting freshness, refrigerate ground grains promptly. Pouring Shield: Reduces untidy spills with this hinged shield. Enables you to pour ingredients down the side of the mixing bowl without being hit with back splash. Pasta Maker: Used in conjunction with the food grinder, separate grinding plates produce varying thickness of Pasta. This attachment can create thick and thin spaghetti, flat noodles, lasagna, and macaroni. Included is a storage case to house the interchangeable pasta plates, bowl clips, and a cleaning tool. Sausage Stuffer: Used together with the food grinder, this attachment easily produces fresh sausage from scratch. The smaller 3/8" tube makes small, breakfast-sized sausages and the larger 5/8" tube makes bigger variations such as Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Polish, and Italian sausages..

Other KitchenAid Attachments:Apron with Detachable Towel Baking Cookbook Dough Hook for Tilt-Head Mixer Flat Beater Food Tray Mixer Bowl Covers Polished Stainless Steel Bowl for Tilt-Head Mixer Stainless Steel Bowl with Handle Stand Mixer Covers Wire Whip for Tilt-Head Mixer

Sunbeam Mixmaster Attachments:Beating Blending Chopping Creaming Extracting Fruit Juice Grinding Mashing Mixing Stirring Whipping

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