How to can in boiling water?

Wash canning jars, lids and bands in hot soapy water. Rinse well.

Place sterilized jars in a large pot and fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars. Bring to a simmer (180°F) and simmer for at least 10 minutes-this will prevent the jars from breaking when filled with hot food (called "hot packing") or when transferred to the boiling water bath. Keep the jars in simmering water until ready to fill. You can also wash and dry jars in the dishwasher; keep jars in dishwasher with the door closed (to keep them warm) and remove them as needed.

Dry the bands. Place new lids (you must use new lids each time you do canning; bands can be reused if in good condition) in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer (180°F). Lids must be simmered for 10 minutes to "activate" the sealing compound that helps achieve a vacuum seal. Keep lids in simmering water until read to use. (Do not boil: simmering the lids in water hotter than 180° may interfere with proper sealing.)

Fill hot jars with preserves to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar's rim.

Run a rubber spatula around the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles.

Wipe the rim well to ensure a good seal.

Place the lids and bands on the jars. Tighten bands just until you feel resistance (you don't want to overtighten the bands).

Fill a boiling-water canner (or large, deep Dutch oven fitted with a round, metal cooling rack) about half full with water. Bring to a full simmer. Lower the filled jars into the simmering water one at a time with a jar lifter or use a canning rack to lower all the jars into the water at once. (If your canning pot does not have a canning rack, a wire rack on the bottom of the pot is recommended to prevent the jars from breaking.) Check the water level. If the water does not cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches, add boiling water as needed. Bring to a rolling boil, cover the canner and boil for 10 minutes if using 4-, 8- or 12-ounce jars or for 15 minutes if using 16-ounce jars. (Check individual preserve recipes for more specific processing times.) Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the jars from the pot.

Let jars cool on a cutting board or towel with 2 inches of space between each jar for 12 to 24 hours.

To check the seals, press down on the center of the lid. If the center of the lid doesn't pop up, it's sealed. To double-check the seal, remove the band and very gently try to remove the lid. If you can't remove the lid, you have a good seal. The jar isn't sealed if the lid pops up when you press down on the center of the lid or if you can remove the lid easily. Refrigerate any jars that didn't seal for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 1 year.

SOURCES: Ball Blue Book of Preserving and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jams, Jellies and Preserves by Yvonne Tremblay.

It’s important to note that only high-acid foods can be preserved by water bath canning. This includes most fruit preserves, including jams, jellies, and fruit canned in syrup, and many pickles. However, always make sure you are using a safe, tested recipe from a reliable source, such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Non-acidic vegetables, meat including poultry and fish, and soup stocks (yes, even vegetable stock) must be processed in a pressure canner, not a boiling water bath.

Though ready-made canning kits are often available right in hardware stores or for sale online, you may have many of the necessary pieces of equipment already in your kitchen. If so, you can selectively buy the other pieces and possibly save money.

Place a rack in the bottom of a tall pot, like a stockpot or a lobster pot. The rack keeps the bases of the jars off the bottom of the pan, allowing evaporating water to escape around the jars and preventing them from rattling against each other, which could cause breakage.

Add enough water to cover the jars you are going to process by at least one inch above the lids.

Turn on the heat. If raw-packing, bring the water to 140 F; if hot-packing, bring the water to 180 F. You can do this while you are preparing your foods to be canned.

Before beginning, check all jar rims for chips or other imperfections. Do not use those jars when canning. Make sure you are using new lids that have not been processed previously. Rings can be reused.

If the manufacturer of your jars and lids instructs you to, heat the jars in the water bath, and lids in a separate container of hot water. Ball Mason Jars recently changed their recommendation, saying this is not necessary for their products. For Ball and Kerr products, wash your jars and lids with hot, soapy water just before filling, and rinse and dry well. Alternatively, run the jars (but not the lids) through a cycle in the dishwasher.

Working swiftly, use a ladle to fill your canning jars with the recipe you have made.

Leave an appropriate amount of headspace, usually between 1/4 inch and 1 inch, between the top of the food and the rim of the jars. This should be specified in the recipe.

Run a clean spatula or chopstick around the interior of the jars to release any air bubbles that may be trapped.

Wipe any trace of food off the rims with a clean, moist towel or paper towel. This allows better contact of the lid and the jar, ensuring a better seal.

Place the round canning lids on the jars; this is where the magnetic lid wand comes in handy, allowing you to nab them one at a time. Screw on the bands onto the jars until just finger-tight. You want them to be securely screwed down onto the jars, but not so tight that air cannot escape during the canning process.

If you have a rack with handles, load the jars into the rack and lower it into the water bath. Otherwise, Carefully lower your filled jars into the boiling water using a jar lifter or tongs, being careful to keep the jars vertical so as not to let the food make contact with the rim of the jars. There should be at least 1 inch of water above the top of the jars. If there is not, add more hot water until the level is sufficient. This is where the kettle comes in handy.

There should be at least 1/2 inch of space between the jars.

Turn up the heat, and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Put the lid on the pot.

Start timing according to the recipe you are following. Canning recipes that call for a boiling water bath will include an instruction like "process for 10 minutes." The processing time doesn't start until after you've put the jars of food into the water and the water has returned to a full boil. If the water is boiling too vigorously, reduce the heat until it comes down to a more gentle but still full boil.

When the processing time is up, turn off the heat, and let the jars settle for five minutes.

Remove the jars in their rack or using a jar lifter or tongs when the processing time is complete. Lift the jars vertically, being careful not to tilt them, as this can cause the food inside to interfere with the seal of the lid. Transfer them to a cooling rack or towels on a counter, allowing 1 inch between jars. Be careful not to set them directly ​on counters or in a drafty place, which may cause temperature shock and can cause breakage.

Let them cool undisturbed for 12 to 14 hours. Do not disturb the jars or lids during this time. You will hear a pinging sound as the lids flex and seal. This is normal.

After the cooling period, test whether the jars have sealed correctly by pressing down on the lids. If sealed, they won't wiggle and will feel solid when you press on them.

Wash canning jars, lids and bands in hot soapy water. Rinse well.

Place sterilized jars in a large pot and fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars. Bring to a simmer (180°F) and simmer for at least 10 minutes-this will prevent the jars from breaking when filled with hot food (called "hot packing") or when transferred to the boiling water bath. Keep the jars in simmering water until ready to fill. You can also wash and dry jars in the dishwasher; keep jars in dishwasher with the door closed (to keep them warm) and remove them as needed.

Dry the bands. Place new lids (you must use new lids each time you do canning; bands can be reused if in good condition) in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer (180°F). Lids must be simmered for 10 minutes to "activate" the sealing compound that helps achieve a vacuum seal. Keep lids in simmering water until read to use. (Do not boil: simmering the lids in water hotter than 180° may interfere with proper sealing.)

Fill hot jars with preserves to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar's rim.

Run a rubber spatula around the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles.

Wipe the rim well to ensure a good seal.

Place the lids and bands on the jars. Tighten bands just until you feel resistance (you don't want to overtighten the bands).

Fill a boiling-water canner (or large, deep Dutch oven fitted with a round, metal cooling rack) about half full with water. Bring to a full simmer. Lower the filled jars into the simmering water one at a time with a jar lifter or use a canning rack to lower all the jars into the water at once. (If your canning pot does not have a canning rack, a wire rack on the bottom of the pot is recommended to prevent the jars from breaking.) Check the water level. If the water does not cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches, add boiling water as needed. Bring to a rolling boil, cover the canner and boil for 10 minutes if using 4-, 8- or 12-ounce jars or for 15 minutes if using 16-ounce jars. (Check individual preserve recipes for more specific processing times.) Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the jars from the pot.

Let jars cool on a cutting board or towel with 2 inches of space between each jar for 12 to 24 hours.

To check the seals, press down on the center of the lid. If the center of the lid doesn't pop up, it's sealed. To double-check the seal, remove the band and very gently try to remove the lid. If you can't remove the lid, you have a good seal. The jar isn't sealed if the lid pops up when you press down on the center of the lid or if you can remove the lid easily. Refrigerate any jars that didn't seal for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 1 year.