Food Preparation

Be extra cautious preserving your own baby food. Want to preserve your own baby food?  High-acid fruits are the only food for which there are home processing recommendations for use as baby food. Unfortunately, there are no recipes for canning pureed or mashed vegetables, meat or poultry. …

Applesauce isn't the only game in town! Turning bushels of apples into home-canned applesauce is a time-honored tradition for many folks. But why stop at plain applesauce, or even apples for that matter?  Many fruits can be processed as fruit purees, and fruits can be mixed and matched.  …

Select the most appropriate straining cloth for culinary purposesCheesecloth and butter muslin are loosely woven cotton fabrics used for making – yes, of course, cheese and butter – as well as for other culinary and household purposes. Is there a difference, and does it matter which cloth you use? Yes and…

With very few exceptions, homemade chocolate sauce is unsafe for shelf stability. Homemade chocolate sauces are fun to make and are great to have on hand for quick dessert toppings or to give as gifts. It may be tempting to can your own sauces (or other types of spreads) that include chocolate products,…

Temperatures matter, from the beginning to the end of the canning process.Home canning involves more than just heating jars of food in a canner. There are many steps in the process, from food preparation to checking that jars sealed after processing – all of which contribute to a product that’s safe to eat…

Commercial juice is an easy and convenient option, but...Yes, you can certainly make jelly from commercially prepared juice (either bottled or frozen). It’s faster and easier than extracting your own juice from fresh fruit.  There are a couple of things to keep in mind, however. The juice should be…

Dry canning vegetables doesn't ensure even heating. Another “homemade” canning method (in other words, someone made it up themselves) has been making the internet rounds recently, which involves pressure canning vegetables without any added liquids. The food, either cooked or raw, is simply put in a jar…

Make eggnog only from pasteurized eggs.Eggnog is a seasonal/holiday tradition in many households, and while it can be purchased commercially, some people prefer to make their own at home. Can you do so safely?  For sure, but use only pasteurized eggs when making eggnog. Raw eggs can be contaminated with…

Four valuable lessons that will take the stress out of canning pickled asparagus.My first time making pickled asparagus at home, by myself, with a borrowed steam canner, was a lot of fun, a fair amount of work, and produced what I would call mixed results, but I have no regrets.   The recipe I…

Hard cheese freezes best, others less so. Cheese is best stored in the refrigerator, but there are some cheeses that freeze fairly well, especially hard or semi-hard cheeses. Good choices for freezing include Cheddar, Edam, Muenster, Parmesan, Provolone, Romano, and Swiss.  Some softer cheeses such…