Everything You Need for Canning at Home

Ever found yourself with a mixer full ofcheesecakebatter—but no springform pan to bake it in? Bought all the ingredients to make your favoritefrittata—but every pan you have is too small? Welcome toEverything You Need, where the goal is to prevent these problems from ever occurring again.

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Sometimes I daydream about having a cabinet filled with all my homemade canned concoctions—spicychutneys, richberry jams, pickles, and apple butter. Then I snap out of it and throw together a meal that takes under 15 minutes to come together. I want fulfill my preserved dreams and be someone who cans at home, but where do I begin?

A lot of people are in the same boat as me, so I got serious and reached out to someone who actually knows things. Enter Christina Ward, certified Master Food Preserver and author ofPreservation: The Art and Science of Canning, Fermentation and Dehydration."It’s quite easy to get wrapped up in purchasing lots of equipment," Ward explains. "When beginning, I always recommend starting slowly. Food preservation equipment can quickly take up valuable pantry space, so it's better to stick with multi-use tools."

She highlighted a slew of things to consider: replicating a fondly remembered childhood recipe is a great place to start; in the realm of food preservation,picklingis very manageable; taste should always determine what method of preservation you choose (are you after cold and crunchy or sweet and sour?); jams areless temperamentalthan jellies, and yes, jam is going to take that much sugar.

Read on for everything you need to can at home. Gather your unblemished fruits and vegetables ("if a strawberry or tomato has an imperfection or spot, cut if off and use the rest") and get started.

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Large Stock Pot

You can choose aspecific canning potor any stock pot tall enough to contain the rack, jars, and boiling water (so with a little extra room). "Use a heavy bottom pot for cooking jams to prevent scorching. Yes, Frenchconfiturersuse copper pots but those require a bit of experience," says Ward. "Reward yourself with a beautifulMauviel jam potwhen you win first prize at the State Fair."

BUY IT:Cuisinart Chef's Classic 12-Quart Stockpot with Cover, $40 on Amazon

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Trivet or Canning Rack

The trivet or rack is what turns any old pot into a canning pot. Again, you can get a specificcanning rackor find a multipurpose trivet to get the job done. Place the trivet or rack into the pot and ta-da! It's ready for canning! This item keeps the glass jars from coming in direct contact with the bottom of the pot and allows for the boiling water to circulate around the jars thoroughly.

BUY IT:Blossom Multi-Use Silicone Trivet, $13 on Amazon

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Canning Starter Kit

Instead of buying all of the necessary small pieces separately, just get a canning kit. This one includes long tongs to keep sterilized canning components sanitary before, during, and after use; a jar lifter to lift sealed jars out of hot water safely and securely; a magnetic lid lifter to safely remove flat lids from the hot water; an extra wide mouth funnel to guide food into jars with less mess; a jar wrench to seal lids on tightly; and a bubble popper to measure the head space in jars and pop any air bubbles before sealing.

BUY IT:Norpro Canning Essentials Boxed Set, $14 on Amazon

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Chinois Strainer

"These are the best tools for removing seeds from small fruits. It’s a tool I regularly reach for when pulping tomatoes, pureeing cooked apples for sauce, and making grape juice. It’s my Swiss army knife."

BUY IT:HIC Chinois Fine-Mesh Sieve, $34 on Amazon

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Wood spoons and paddles

"Pickling solutions are chemical solutions and will interact with metals. I keep a large stock of wooden spoons and flattened paddles in a giant Weck jar next to the stove. There's a local woodturner who keeps me supplied and laughs when I accidentally set them on fire."

BUY IT:OXO Good Grips Wooden Spoon Set, $12 on Amazon

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Cloth towels

"I have heaps of these too. They're useful for placing over a bowl of macerating fruit, wiping the rim of a jar, or resting under hot jars on the counter. Terrycloth towels are too heavy and paper towels too wasteful."

BUY IT:Utopia Kitchen Flour-Sack Towels (12 Pack), $19 on Amazon

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Hand Blender

"A high-quality hand blender makes every sauce smooth. It's so much easier to give something a ‘whiz’ in the pot (off the heat) than transferring it to a freestanding blender. This tool is the secret to extra smooth jams."

BUY IT:Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender, $29 on Amazon

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Five-gallon buckets

"Five-gallon food-safe buckets are a must have in my kitchen. I use them for large projects like cleaning a bushel of cucumbers or a full hod of strawberries. Much cheaper than purchasing giant bowls, buckets are versatile and easy to store. And they make ideal fermenting vessels for sauerkraut, kimchi, andhalf-sour pickles."

BUY IT:5-Gallon Bucket With Lid, $25 on Amazon

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Canning-specific jars

"Use canning-specific jars only, please. They're made of a specially formulated glass that can withstand multiple exposures to extreme temperatures. Brands I recommend are Ball, Kerr, Orchard Road, and Bernadin for North American styles, and Kilner, Weck, and Bormioli for European styles." The main takeaway in picking the jar comes down to the price, availability, and where it is manufactured—plus whichever name and logo you would like subtly molded onto the side.

BUY IT:Ball 4-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands (24 Jars), $28 on Amazon

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