======== Newsgroups: rec.food.preserving Subject: Rec.food.preserving FAQ, version 2.3, part 4 From: lebasel@nando.net (lebasel) Date: 1 Jan 1996 20:28:33 -0500 Part 4 of 6 Version 2.3 Specific Equipment Questions, Equipment sources, and Tips 'n Tricks =================================================================== -----------------II. Specific Equipment Questions----------------- =================================================================== A. CANNERS--PRESSURE AND WATERBATH, CANNING EQUIPMENT A.1 [I see different sized canners for sale. Why should I get a big one?] from Dirk W. Howard My wife and I have two All-American canners. One can do a double stack of pints and a single stack of quarts, and the other can do a triple stack of pints and a double stack of quarts. I like the large capacity. It means that in a 75 minute processing time I can do anywhere from 9 to 18 pints in the "smaller" canner and up to 27 pints in the "large" canner. Total would be 45 pints if running both canners. As opposed to 375 minutes (3 hours 15 minutes) to process 45 pints in a single 9 pint canner. OK, this isn't fair since I did gauge two canners on one. Let's say that your goal was to process 36 pints of green beans. In a single stack canner that is four different batches. Just the processing time alone is 5 hours. This doesn't count the vent time and the cool down. A canner that can have a double stack of pints cuts the processing time down to 2-1/2 hours. This can be worth the extra price of the canner and the trouble (minimal) to work with. A.2 [I got this pressure canner (not cooker!) for a gift. How do I take care of it?] From: phillips@colum.edu (Gary Phillips x397) The two largest US manufacturers of pressure canners for home use are Mirro and Presto. I imagine their products are available in Canada and if you can find a hardware or cooking supply store that handles either brand they will be able to special order these items for you even if they don't have them in stock. My present canner is a Mirro. It does 7 quart jars at once, operates at a choice of 5, 10, or 15 psi, and cost me about $50 in US currency six years ago. It was the least expensive model offered by a local hardware store from stock, and prices went up from there to as high as $100. It has been well worth the investment. Do NOT buy a pressure *cooker* for canning. Although most of them purport to be suitable for doing a few jars (3 or 4) at a time, in fact they can't hold the temperature and pressure evenly enough for really safe operation. From: phillips@colum.edu (Gary Phillips x397) >Yes I bet...I would love to find one at a garage sale. BTW if I >ever do, do you know what to look for to make sure it is still >operating safely? Sure. Check the rim of both pan and lid to make sure there are no nicks or damage to the interlocking tabs. Make sure the safety pressure release (usually a rivet-like rubber plug) is still present and soft and moving freely in its slightly oversized hole. Check the gasket that goes between pan and lid for cracks or hardening. Make sure the pressure vent is clean and open, and that the seat for the pressure release weight is smooth and fits well. If there is a pressure gauge, it may need recalibration. Contact the manufacturer for information about that. It would probably be a good idea to order a new gasket and a safety release at the same time. (And an instruction manual if you didn't get one with the canner.) When you are satisfied that everything is present and working, run a test with just water in the pan. Raise pressure to 5 psi and hold it for 15 or 20 minutes, watching carefully for leaks or drips that might indicate problems. If there is a safety interlock to prevent opening while pressure is present examine it to determine whether it has activated. Allow pressure to drop and make sure the interlock doesn't release (not by trying to open the pan under pressure, but by visual examination) until pressure is gone and you can remove the release weight without any steam escaping. ---- Care Of Pressure Canning Equipment To preserve low-acid foods which are safe, good tasting and nutritious, you need to correctly use equipment which is well-maintained and in good operating condition. Safety Vents or Petcocks: - Be sure the vent is clear and unobstructed. Use Q-tip or cotton string to clean. - Be sure vent tubes are screwed tightly into lid. - If it is a model with vent under the handle, be sure the lever is moving freely. - If it is a model with a petcock, be sure it opens and closes freely, either by screwing or flipping the lever up and down. - If there is a film from hard water on the petcock, and it can be unscrewed from the lid, soak the parts in vinegar, then wash and dry. - A ball and socket type petcock can be cleaned with silver polish. Safety Overpressure Plugs: - If it is a metal alloy or composition metal plug that screws into the lid, do not try to remove it. - If it is a rubber plug, use the thumbnail test to see if the rubber is still pliable enough. If pressure with thumbnail leaves a permanent dent in the rubber it is too brittle for safe use and should be replaced. - If either type of plug has been blown out by overpressure in the canner, it must be replaced by a new plug. Do not try to reuse the plug that blew out. Gaskets: - Soak gasket in hot water for an hour to soften before the first use of the season. - Insert gasket into its groove in lid. If it is either too shrunken to fit to the edge, or too stretched to lie smoothly in the lid, it must be replaced. - Use thumbnail test - if pressure with thumbnail leaves a permanent dent in rubber, it is too brittle and should be replaced. Rubber safety plug should be replaced at the same time, since it will probably be too brittle also. Pressure Gauge: - Have dial and pop-up gauges tested every year before canning season at your local Cooperative Extension Office. If it is inaccurate it must be replaced. - Check entrance port and carefully remove any debris that may have accumulated. - Be sure gauge is screwed firmly into lid. If it attaches with a nut on the underside of the lid, be sure the nut is tight. Weighted Pressure Regulators: - Have no moving parts so there is no need to have them tested for accuracy. - Be sure they are clean, with no debris or food residue encrusted especially in the sockets where the weight fits over its vent. - Be sure the entrance port and vent pipe are open and unobstructed. - Be sure there are no nicks or damage to the weight or to the tip of the vent pipe where the weight fits. Canner Lids: - Be sure handles are securely attached. - Be sure gasket fits smoothly into its groove in the lid. - Set lid on canner and turn to lock it into place. It should turn on smoothly and easily. - If it does not turn on easily, check to be sure gasket is properly seated in its groove. Adjust if necessary. - If the gasket is properly seated, check the lid. If the lid is warped or bent, it might be replaceable. Contact the manufacturer. If it is an old model or no longer manufactured, there may be no way to continue using it as a pressure canner. It may be used as a regular pot for cooking. If this is the case, remove the gasket, and if possible open or remove the gauge and overpressure plugs or petcocks, to avoid the possibility of pressure buildup. - If there is no visible problem but the lid continues to be tight, a small amount of petroleum jelly or cooking oil may be applied to the gasket to lubricate it. Canner: - Be sure there is a rack in the canner. - Check the bottom for flatness. Older model canners may warp if overheated. If the bottom is not flat or the canner will not sit flat on the heating element or burner of the stove, it should not be used for canning. Warped canners may be used for cooking. Once warped, the damage can not be reversed. - Put 1 inch of water in the canner, close the lid, heat the water and pressurize the canner. Check to see if steam is escaping at any point other than the petcock or safety vent. - If steam is escaping around the gasket and it seems to be properly in place, a small amount of petroleum jelly, or cooking oil, may be rubbed around the gasket. This will soften it and help it to seat more securely. Too much oil or jelly will over-soften the rubber, and will leave a sticky residue on the canner. - With weighted gauge canners, if the weight only hisses continuously and does not rock or jiggle intermittently as the manufacturers' directions specify, check to see if the stove is level. This type of weight must hang in a centered position on a vertical vent. If the stove is not level the weight will not hang properly and steam will escape in a continuous stream from the side, and pressure will not build up properly. - If steam is escaping around the base of any of the vents (dial gauge, weight vent, safety vent, petcock) where they screw into the lid, and if you can screw them out of the lid, the threads can be wrapped with plumber's tape to seal them. Plumber's tape is a stretchy, non-sticky silicon tape used to seal threads. It is available in small rolls from a hardware store. Be sure to wrap the tape in the right direction, so that when you screw the vent back into the lid, the direction of the turning does not unwrap the tape. Canner Use - Follow manufacturers' directions for use of your particular model. - Use canner on the appropriately sized burner. A canner should not hang over the edge of the burner by more than 2 inches on either side. - Be sure to center the canner on the burner. Some ranges do not allow enough space to center a large canner on rear burners. [N.B. Those newfangled smooth-top burners are a *poor* idea for either a waterbath or pressure canner, both appliances are too heavy, and don't heat the burner can't take it.--Diane Hamilton?] - Be sure lid is securely locked on (turned on, or screwed down). - If your canner has six or eight large screws and wing nuts to close it, screw them down in opposite pairs. If there are six, screw numbers 1 and 4 down part way, then 2 and 5, then 3 and 6, then return to the first pair to finish tightening continuing around the lid. - For all models, be sure to vent the canner for 10 minutes on high heat with a full stream of steam escaping. This is necessary to remove air from the canner. Air remaining inside will lower the maximum temperature achievable, and may cause underprocessing of the food. After the 10 min. venting, close the petcock, or place the safety weight or weighted pressure regulator on the vent. Allow the pressure to build to 10 psig, or to 5 or 15 psig if you are processing at those pressures. (psig means Pounds per Square Inch by Gauge, the measure of pressure.) Be sure that you use the proper time for the pressure level that you are using. Check the new USDA Home Canning Guide for safe recommendations. - When canner reaches the specified pressure, begin counting the processing time. - Reduce heat gradually to maintain the pressure without over-pressurizing. With a weighted pressure regulator, leaving the heat on too high will not increase the pressure, but will cause excess steam loss from the canner, since steam will be escaping continuously. Surpassing the specified pressure in a dial gauge canner will result in soft, mushy or darkened food, and excessive vitamin loss. - If the pressure drops below its proper level during processing, increase the heat to bring the pressure back up, then begin the timing over again from zero, for the full specified time. - Never run cold water over a canner to cool it. While newer, lightweight aluminum canners will not warp the way old ones did, the full, slow cool-down time is necessary for adequate process time. Shortening the time by cooling the canner with water is unsafe. In addition, excessively rapid cooling may cause jars in the canner to crack or explode as the pressure in the canner drops more rapidly than the pressure in the jars. - When the pressure has dropped to zero, wait another 1 minute before opening the canner. On some models the pressure drop will be visible when the overpressure plug drops back into the lid, the rubber plug is no longer bulged, or the dial gauge will read zero. Smaller canners will take at least 30 minutes to cool, larger ones may take over an hour. - Open the petcock or remove the safety weight carefully and wait until any rush of steam has stopped. Then open the lid and tilt the back edge up first, so that it directs the steam away from your face. - Remove the jars immediately. Do not leave jars sitting in a hot canner overnight, spoilage may result. Canner Storage: - It is acceptable to leave clean water in the canner if you are going to be canning again the next day. However if much juice from the jars escaped and the water in the canner is colored it should be discarded. - Turn the lid upside down and rest it on the canner. The weight of the lid should not be resting on the gasket during storage as it could deform it. - For long-term storage at the end of the season, wash and dry the canner well. Be sure all the parts (safety weight, rack, etc.) are in the canner. A few crumpled newspapers in the canner will absorb moisture and odors. - If you unscrew the gauge or vents, coat the threads lightly with petroleum jelly to prevent rust and make them easier to replace. - Coat the gasket very lightly with petroleum jelly or oil. Burpee, Health, National Victory and Dixie canners are no longer manufactured, and no parts or service are available for these canners. Parts and service are available for Presto, Mirro and All American, and for some models of National Presto, Kwik Kook, Steamliner and Maid of Honor. If you need further assistance or have other problems, contact your local Cooperative Extension Office. If you are thinking of buying a canner at a garage sale, check to be sure you can open and close the petcocks. Look for stains of drips down the sides or on the lid near the vents, they may indicate that the lid does not seal or leaks steam all the time. Check that the lid twists on and off easily. Check the condition of the gasket. Check that the base is flat. A rounded base indicates that the canner is warped. Check that there is a rack. Buying any of the models listed above as having parts and service available is a much better bet than one of the older ones. Prepared by Mary A. Keith, Foods and Nutrition, August, 1991 Revised by M. Susan Brewer, Foods and Nutrition, June, 1992 EHE-704 ---- A.3 [Other ways of cleaning a pressure canner..] Compiled by Tracy L. Carter : Here is a summary of the response I got for cleaning out my nasty looking pressure canner when I forgot to add vinegar. 1. Put in water and cream of tarter. Bring up to pressure for a certain number of minutes and let come back to room pressure naturally before removing lid. If you want the exact instructions, let me know, and I will go into my other account for them. 2. Scrub with a brillo pad. Thought about that, but didn't know if I should scratch the inside of it or not. 3. Cook a batch of tomatoes/tomato juice in the pressure cooker. ________ A.4 [Where can I find canning equipment parts?] ---- SOURCES OF CANNING EQUIPMENT PRESSURE CANNERS Liquid Jar Gauge Parts Repair capacity capacity type avail- service quarts quarts pints able Mirro 12, 22 4 10 weight yes no (4,6,8 cookers) 7 20 Presto 13,17,22 4 8 dial yes yes 7 16 weight Wisconsin Alumin. 7,10,15 4 4 dial yes yes "All-American" 21,25,30 yes no Dixie Canner (sells the All-American line) Canners previously made, with no available parts or service: National Victory Health Burpee Dixie Note: replacements and testing also available Presto for spring-type "pop-up" pressure regulator. Presto also services and carries parts for: Steamliner Maid of Honor, Model 620 Kook Kwik, Models "Best Made" and "Merit" BOILING WATER CANNERS Jar capacity Volume capacity quarts pints Mirro 21 7 9 General Housewares 12, 21 7 8 Glashaus - Weck 8 11 (electric self-contained heating unit) JARS AND LIDS jar sizes Ball jelly, 0.5, 1, 1.5 pint, quart, 0.5 gallon regular mouth 1, 1.5 pint, quart, 0.5 gallon wide mouth Golden Harvest 0.5 pint, pint, quart regular mouth 0.5 pint, pint, quart in wide mouth Kerr jelly, 0.5, 1, 1.5 pint, quart regular mouth 1, 1.5 pint, quart wide mouth Addresses for sources: Mirro Aluminum Corp., P.O. Box 409, Manitowoc, WI, 54220-0409 (414) 684-4421 ** also sells Foley, Earthgrown brands National Presto Industries Inc., 3925 N. Hastings Way, Eau Claire, WI, 54703 (715) 839-2209 {correction thanks to Lois Grassl ltg@quality.cray.com} Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Co., P.O.Box 246, Manitowoc, WI, 54221-0246 (414) 682-8627 Dixie Canner Equipment Co., Box 1348, Athens, GA., 30603 (404) 549-1914 General Housewares, P.O. Box 4066, Terre Haute, IN, 47804 (812) 232-1000 Ball Corp., 345 S. High St., Muncie, IN, 47302 (317) 284-8441 Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corp., 2444 West 16th St., Chicago, IL, 60608 (312) 226-1700 or (800) 331-2609 Anchor Glass Cont. Corp., One Anchor Plaza, 4343 Anchor Plaza Parkway, Tampa, FL 33634 (813) 884-0000 Golden Harvest jars Glashaus Inc., 415 West Golf Road, Suite 13, Arlington Heights, IL, 60005 (708) 640-6918 Distributes Weck Products Other Sources: Lemra Products, 4331 North Dixie Highway, Suite 4, Boca Raton, FL 33431 (407) 368-8781 Makes the Squeezo juicer/press NASCO, 901 Janesville Ave., P.O.Box 901, Fort Atkinson, WI, 53538-0901 (414) 563-2446 (800) 558-9595 Home Ec.supplies Robert Bosch Corp., Household Products Div. 2800 S. 25th Ave., Broadview, IL 60153 (708) 865-5256 Electric juicer/press Prepared by Mary A. Keith, Foods and Nutrition, August, 1991 Revised by Susan Brewer, Foods and Nutrition Specialist EHE-703 ---- A.5 [What about zinc rings, rubber sealed jars, and other great, but antique, canning equipment?] ---- Selecting Canning Jars and Lids If you are going to invest the time, the produce, your own energy and your electrical energy in home canning, then it should be important to you to select the best containers for your food. Here are some pointers to guide you, or maybe to give you some answers about why the jars you have used in the past broke in the canner or did not seal. The best jars to use are standard canning jars. There are several brands on the market. They are all suitable. However, as in any mass-produced product, you may find a few mistakes. Be sure to check the rims, or sealing surfaces. Run your fingertip lightly around the circle to check for any chips or bumps. These will prevent the canning lid from sealing properly. Also look to see that the rim is circular. Occasionally a jar will stick momentarily in the mold and an oval jar is the result. These curiosities can not be used. While the jars themselves will last for decades, until they are broken, their safe life for canning is much shorter. With the repeated heating and cooling of canning, the glass gradually becomes more brittle. Eventually, it becomes very sensitive to even light shocks. Older jars are often the ones that break in the canner for no obvious reason. Glass manufacturers generally say that a canning jar will have a reliable life of 12 to 13 years. After that their tendency to break increases, and they should be replaced. This includes most of the blue glass jars. [N.B: In addition to being beautiful, some of those colored glass canning jars are valuable collectors' items.] Many of the older jars were made for use with rubber rings and zinc lids. In this style of lid, the seal was not on the rim of the jar mouth but on the shoulder, below the threads. Therefore, the smoothness of the rim was not important. Many of these jars have rough rims, and rims of uneven thickness. These jars will not seal reliably with today's lids. They can be used to store grains and pasta, but are not a good choice for canning. (N.B: Zinc lids are an especially bad idea for processing pickles, since zinc is reactive in high salt and acid.--LEB) Mayonnaise jars or "one-trip" commercial jars are considered by many canners to be the inexpensive alternative to buying canning jars. For some foods that is true. Mayonnaise jars may be safely used for canning foods in a boiling water bath canner. They are generally reliable and will not break at that temperature. (N.B: this subject is controversial. Many people in r.f.p will dis- agree with the above statement.--LEB) However, they should never be used in a pressure canner. The glass sides are slightly thinner than in a standard canning jar. When there is a pressure difference between the inside of the jar and its environment they may explode. This occurs when the canner cools while the contents of the jar are often still boiling. In addition, the rims of mayonnaise jars are often thinner than those of canning jars. This means that there is less space for the jar lid to properly seal onto. It is very important that the lid be carefully adjusted onto the jar and be exactly centered. Otherwise it may not seal. Prepared by Mary Keith, June, 1991 Revised by M. Susan Brewer, June, 1992 ---- B. DEHYDRATORS B.1 [Where can I find suppliers of premade dehydrators?] Most of this information was complied by Anne Louise Gockel . I thank her from the bottom of my heart. Prices are dated. From Sept/Oct 1992 Organic Gardening: The Big-1 20 trays, $200 ppd 10 trays $170 ppd 5 trays $130 ppd Vita Mix 8615 Usher Rd Cleveland, OH 44138 800-848-2649 Harvest Maid $100 ppd (4 trays, can add 8 more) Gardener's Supply Co 128 Intervale Rd Burlington, VT 05401 802-863-1700 when I bought my dehydrator, Harvest Maid had two products, one was larger and expanded to up to ?30? trays and the other was smaller; this sounds like the product that was originally the smaller version I found that liquid from foods drips down into the heating and fan area; I ruined one fan with excess juice that gummed it up. Total cost about $25 to replace the fan (mail ordered the fan from a repair shop) Running the machine without the fan caused something else to burn out (another $30) tho so be careful! Nutri-Flow $265 ppd with 6 large rectangular trays and you can add up to 6 more; fan and heater mounted in the back and air flows horizontally; no need to rotate trays Gardener's Supply Co 128 Intervale Rd Burlington, VT 05401 802-863-1700 For various reasons, I suspect that the horizontal air flow is a better design. Some sources suggest that you get less "flavors mixing" with a horizontal flow too. Dehydrator Companies: American Harvest 4064 Peavey Road P.O box 159 Chaska, Minnesota 55318 1-800-288-4545 (612) 448-4400 Thanks to jmoffi@uoguelph.ca (Joshua H Moffi) Dehydration Technology PO Box 864 Coupeville WA 98239 Excalibur 6083 Power Inn Rd Sacramento CA 95824 Harvest Maid Alternative Pioneering Systems 7900 Computer Ave South Minneapolis, MN 55435 800-624-2945 I'm pretty sure this address is no longer any good Sun Pantry Enterprises 16182 Gothard St, Unit N Huntington Beach, CA 92647 714-848-1686 B.2 [Where can I find plans for homemade dehydrators?] These plans were painstakingly complied by Anne Louise Gockel . Prices are included, but are probably dated. The last item is a post from Paul Ovitz in rec.food.preserving. --Tabletop Dehydrator: A Make it yourself dryer that is set on a table. Described in full in Circular #855 "How to Build a Portable Electric Food Dehydrator" by Dale E. Kirk, Agricultural Engineer, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. Directions for building this dryer are also contained in USDA H&G Bulletin 217, "Drying Foods at Home", 1977. This dryer offers about 8.5 feet of tray surface and handles about 18 lbs, of fruit or vegetables. Basically it is a plywood box that holds 5 screen trays above the heat source, which is nine 75 watt light bulbs. The heat is dispersed by a shield and forced upward through the trays of food by an 8" household fan. --Solar Dehydrator Plans: "Solar Energized Food Dehydrator" $15.00 Solar Survival Cherry Hill Rd Harrisville, NH 03450 "How to Build a Solar Food Dryer" $3.00 Benson Institute B-49 Brigham Young University Provo UT 84602 "Drying Food" Blair and Ketchum's Country Journal. Sept 1981 "Build PM's Solar Food Dryer" Popular Mechanics, Jan 1979 "A Build-It Incubator/Dryer" Organic Gardening, July 1979 "Solar Dehydrator" Popular Science, Oct 1976 (I have this article; it's just a quick one-page description and a single illustration) --Electric Dehydrator Plans: "How to Build a Portable Electric Food Dehydrator" (EC #855, $0.75) Agricultural Communications Publications Orders Administration Building #422 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2119 Reprinted in Horticulture, August 1980 (I think this is the set of plans I have; they are fairly complete and look like a good set of plans. They could be made by someone with reasonable handyman skills. It think it requires the cook to manually inspect the temperature and adjust the openings to adjust the temp.) "Step By Step to a Food Dehydrator" David Ashe. Better Homes and Gardens. July 1977 "Super Dehydrator Does Much More" J Stephens. Organic Gardening and Farming, Aug 1977 "Build Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Dryer" R. S. Hedin Popular Mechanics, May 1976 (I have this article; this is a serious dehydrator. Uses two 600-watt heaters to maintain a temperature of about 120 degrees F and will dry a load in about 12 hours; twelve screens provide a drying area of 14.5 square feet. drying cabinet is made of 3/8" particle board. There's a blower and an "air safety switch" and this is one *serious* project.) --Dryer Plans from University Extension Services: 1.Agricultural Engineering Extension 325 Riley-Robb Hall /* hmmm, does Riley Robb still exist? Cornell University Ithaca NY 14853 607-256-2280 /* DEFINITELY a bad phone number!!!! Plan No 6252: $2.00: This "Cassette Fruit Drier" is a portable cabinet 18"x24"x21" and with a heater and fan to dry four aluminum screen trays of fruit. Isometric drawing is shown with door and hasp removed. Notes specify 750 to 1500 watt heater with adjustable thermostat and independent operation of fan. 1 sheet. Plan No 6244. $2.00: Plan shows a "Solar Fruit Drier" which is tilted box 4'x4'x1' on legs with slots for natural ventilation. Four trays, 2" deep inside the black box, a vinyl or polyethylene box cover and joint details are shown. 2 sheets. Plan No 6202. $3.00: This "Fruit Drier" has two electrical core resistance heaters, an 80 cfm fan and five slide-out trays in a 2' cubicle plywood box. Shown are a general view, sections, back view with removable panel to plenum chamber and wiring diagrams. A bill of materials and suggested fruit drying procedure is included. 4 sheets. 2.I have this last one and it's "developed by the fruit substation, Clarksville, and the Agricultural Engineering Dept, University of Arkansas, Plan no 731001." This model has a thermostat that will turn the heaters on and off. It looks pretty sophisticated. However I don't think it has a temperature control, just an "on/off" control. It's 4 blueprint sheets of drawings and notes. And finally, two proud innovators in rec.food.preserving... : Sorry, I have no plans, but my husband and I built a good dehydrator : years ago. We solved the problem of relatively inexpensive trays by : having them fabricated at a glass shop around the corner. They used : (not sure what it is called by pros) screen frame stock and screen : fabric. These were built in the size that we needed, and were stable : enough to support the drying foods. As I recall, they were quite : inexpensive, could have been even more so if we had bought the stock : and done the work ourselves. Let me know if you use this suggestion and : how it works for you. : Betty Kohler (using my son's account) From: Paul Opitz After building a plywood dehydrator cabinet (2 x 2 x 4 feet!), I, too, had a problem finding suitable trays that didn't cost the big bucks. Found a good solution: fluorescent light box diffusers. You can find these at lighting supply stores or at large building supplies (I found 'em at Home Depot). These have a 1/2-inch grid, are plastic (but are ok for relatively high temperature), come 2 x 4 foot 'slats', and are easy to cut to size. Also, I've noticed absolutely no taste (like you can get from some metal screens) and you can just toss 'em in the dishwasher to clean. For smaller foods (peas, corn, ...) I place crochet 'cloth' (plastic sheets about 10 x 14 inches with tiny holes) I got at Cloth World over the main trays. For liquids I use a teflon-coated cookie sheet. I had one problem when I overloaded the tray and it broke (was spanning 2 feet with only end supports and put 4 lbs of beef for jerky on the tray). I added a center support to the dehydrator, and have had no problems since. As to dehydrator design, I just made a cube out of plywood. The pieces are screwed into 2x2s (take the plywood away and it would look like a 2 x 2 x 4-foot cube wireframe made out of 2x2s). Added a hot plate I got for $10 at Incredible Universe and a surplus 6-inch computer fan I had already. Temperature control is achieved using a modified electronic aquarium thermostat (range of 90 - 160 degrees). Several holes drilled at top and bottom sides for some air exchange, and presto! The entire thing cost about $80 (mostly for the plywood) and can simultaneously dehydrate a LOT of food. I've made black bean soup, jerky, spaghetti sauce, vegetable soup, huevos rancheros casserol, fruit juice leather, fruit pemmican... All turned out much better than the freeze-dried stuff at the stores. C. SMOKERS C.1 [Where can I find plans for a homemade smoker?] THE IDEAL SMOKER: from Brian Bigler ... I got introduced to smokers the same way most people do, but as a Fisheries Scientist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, I enjoy a nearly inexhaustable supply of salmon and other fish to experiment. The small smokers are okay, but the one I built is a lot more versatile. Soon after I got introduced to smokers, I built my own from plywood. My present smoker is about two feet on each side, and about five feet tall. I have three racks scrounged from where I could find them, and a single-burner hot plate I got from Sears as a heat source. I fill a 1-pound coffee can with smoker chips intended for charcol barbeques. The height of my smoker allows for smoking cheeses on the top rack where it's coolest, and warmer smoking closer to the heat on the lower racks. The hotplate has to be set carefully, to a point where there's just enough heat to smolder the chips within 5-8 minutes. I plug in the hotplate just long enough to see smoke wisping from the seams, then unplug the cord and allow the chips to smolder on their own. It takes two loads of chips for each load of fish. BE CERTAIN TO PUT YOUR SMOKER AWAY FROM YOUR HOME! Other smoker blueprint sources. These were all compiled by Anna Louise Gockel. "Smoking Fish at Home" #2669, $0.25 "Smoked Shark and Shark Jerky" #21121 $0.25 Sea Grant MAP Extension University of California Davis, CA 95616 "Fishery Facts 5, Sportsman's Guide to Handling, Smoking and Preserving Coho Salmon" US Dept of the Interior US Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Washington, DC 20240 "Home Smoking of Fish" #B-78865-S $1.00 "Smoke Your Own Poultry" #A 2732 $1.00 Agricaultural Bulletin Room #245 30 North Murray Madison, WI 537151 (sic; the zip code is obviously a typo) I've looked through a copy of the following. It includes making a smoker out of an old discarded fridge: TITLE: The easy art of smoking food / Chris Dubbs and Dave Heberle; ill. by Jay Marcinowski; photos. by Gary Thomas Sutto. AUTHOR: Dubbs, Chris. PUBLISHED: New York : Winchester Press, 1977. SUBJECTS: Smoke meat. Smoked fish. DESCRIPTION: v, 180 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. NOTES: Includes index. ================================================================== -----------------------III. Tips 'N Tricks------------------------ ================================================================== This section was created as a compendium of tips and tricks. In many cases, I have not seen any of these tricks in the book and pamphets that I have. They can help you get around specific problems, or are easy ways to do what you have to do. ______ From: Diana Hamilton The Fruit Fly Trap Given that a lot of people here might be working with fresh fruit, here's an excellent way to keep the kitchen fruit fly population down. I learned this from my brother, who works in a research lab where escaped fruit flies are always a problem. Materials: 1 glass jar; 1 piece of paper and a piece of tape, or a plastic baggie and a rubber band; a little *cider* vinegar (not white vinegar), or wine or beer; a couple of drops liquid soap or detergent. Procedure: Tape the paper together to make a funnel shape that will rest inside the mouth of the jar, but have a fairly broad opening. Or, tear a hole in the corner of a baggie, put it in the jar as a funnel, and secure it around the rim using a rubber band. Put cider vinegar (or wine or beer) in the bottom of the jar (1/4 inch or 0.5 cm or so). Add a couple of drops of detergent to the vingar. Place the paper funnel on the jar. Set on the kitchen counter near the fruit. How it works: Flies are attracted to the cider vinegar, which they interpret as decaying fruit. They go into the jar (the funnel makes entry easier than exit) and either fall onto or land on the surface of the liquid. The detergent decreases the normal surface tension, so they sink and drown. Easy and cheap! We tested this at our parents' house when the apple crop came in. A single trap caught >100 flies in 2 days. Acknowledgement: Thanks to lank-mrc@tigger.jvnc.net who suggested the baggie method last time I posted this, and to others who suggested beer/wine. [Little bits of overripe fruit, and sherry are also irresistable to fruit flies.--LEB]. _______ From: Kate Gregory Wax paper weight Crumple up a square of wax paper, add the wax paper ball to the top of jars of pickled peppers, canned cherries, etc. to keep the food down in the brine. Seal with two piece lids, can process with wax paper ball in waterbath. _______ From: Leslie Basel Using cheesecloth to skim pickle brine Skimming pickle brine is one of the most tedious tasks around, because you usually have to do it once per day, you should skim it nearly com- pletely, and you shouldn't get rid of too much brine in the process. One trick that I found helpful is to make a cheesecloth handle. You set up your crock in the usual way, with pickles, herbs, and brine, then you place two large pieces of fine cheesecloth over your pickles. Make sure that you have enough cheesecloth that will overhang your crock by a foot or so. After the cheesecloth, you put on your plate and your weight. When it comes time to skim your pickles, take out the weight and the plate, then grab your cheesecloth by the ends and make a bag. Gently lift the bag up out of the brine. Nearly all of the scum should be trapped in the cheesecloth. The cheesecloth can be carefully washed and airdried for reuse; a rotation of three sets works well. _____ from an unknown poster, the chile-heads mailing list... Keeping outside fermenting items a secret from the neighbors I learned to love -and make- kim chee while attending college in Hawaii. I encountered the same odor problem and was forced to come up with a solution or get into a shooting war with the neighbors. Obviously, tightly closing the fermentation container is a recipe for disaster. I actually just cover my crocks with an unbleached muslin stretched over the top. (Five gallon churns are the best "crocks" I have found.) However, I deal with the odor problem by putting six inches of charcoal in the bottom of a plastic trash can and setting the crocks on it. The charcoal I use is provided by a friend at the Jack Daniels distillery, but any "raw" or activated charcoal will work. Bagged charcoal briquets, even when crushed, are not really a good option, though. I use a large trash can and can actually get three crocks in at once without crowding. I then put several layers of burlap on top of the covered crocks. (I used laundered peanut bags, but feed sacks would work as well.) Finally, I put the lid on the trash can. The lids for these cans fit fairly tight, but will allow for the equalization of pressure. You can still smell the kim chee working, but you must get very close to the trash can and sniff hard. _________ From Michael Stallcup Using Ascorbic Acid. Citation from "Drying Fruit" pamphlet by Pat Kendall, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension foods and nutrition specialist and professor, food science and human nutrition; Lesta Allen, retired consumer and family education agent, Tri River Area Cooperative Extension. 8/94. ©Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. 1994. "Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is an antioxidant that keeps fruit from darkening. Pure crystals usually are available at drug stores. Prepare a solution of 1 to 2-1/2 teaspoons of pure ascorbic acid crystals to 1 cup cold water. Vitamin C tablets can be crushed and used (six 500 milli- gram tablets equal 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid). One cup treats about 5 quarts of cut fruit. Dip peeled and cut fruit directly in ascorbic acid solution. Soak for a few minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and dehydrate. Commercial antioxidant mixtures are not as effective as ascorbic acid but are more readily available in grocery stores. Follow directions on the container for "fresh cut fruit." ________ From: Jean P Nance Sealing Jam w/ Paraffin Using paraffin sealing jam: Get a moderately large can, maybe large fruit juice. Put the paraffin in it. Put it in a pan of water and heat the water until the paraffin melts. Never take your eyes off it, spilling can cause a fire. Keep it warm until the jam is poured into hot sterilized jars. If you use jars with an overhang, be careful, the jam may shrink a bit, so you don't want your paraffin cap to be caught on the overhand. Pour paraffin carefully on top of each jar of jam. Sometimes it helps to pour one layer, then another in a few minutes. It is best to have caps for the jars to prevent mice, ants, etc. getting at the paraffin. Put away, preferably in a cool dark place. Check regularly. If you see mold under the paraffin, or jam oozing up above the paraffin, throw away moldy jam, but oozing jam can be refrigerated for immediate use. Or freeze if there is more than you can use soon. That's the way we did it for many years. Takes some fussing but it is economical, and you can use any kind of jars. ______ From: Jean P. Nance How to reach the jelling stage/The Fork Test There are a couple of other tests for "jelling". One is "when it sheets from a spoon", but I have found this confusing and sometimes deceptive. My favorite is "when it closes the tines of a fork". I have found that it really should be a silver plate fork, not stainless steel. Dip the fork in, bring it out and observe. If the mixture stays in a sheet between some of the tines, the jam is pretty near done. I usually cook it a few more minutes just to be sure. At times my jam is a little stiffer than some people would like, but better that than runny. Experiment to see how much "closing" means jam is at the stage you like. ______ (end of part 4)