You've heard that you can preserve food in the dishwasher and want to try it out? We'll tell you whether canning in the dishwasher works and what's really behind it.
Preserving food has boomed at least since the sharp price increases. I do it that way, too. If there are tomatoes on sale at the farmers' market, I grab them and preserve them.
If you boil them down properly, very many foods can be kept indefinitely. They can be stored at room temperature and seasoned as desired.
If you're hungry, you take a jar out of the cupboard and open it. A few fresh noodles to the tomato sauce and the meal is ready.
There is so much to be said for preserving food.
Good to know: Putting food hot into jars and boiling it down are not the same thing! When canning, the filled and closed jars are heated again for a time in a water bath. This creates a vacuum and kills all germs. The food can now be preserved indefinitely. By the way, jam is not boiled down - here the sugar ensures the shelf life.
To simplify the process of canning, there are always creative ideas.
Classically, it is done in a canning machine, large saucepan or oven. But supposedly, canning in the dishwasher is also possible.
What's behind it? We took a look and tell you everything you need to know about it!
Table of contents
Where does the trend of canning in the dishwasher come from?
Classic cooking in the dishwasher suddenly emerged as a trend in 2017 and spread rapidly. Just like the trend of preparing sausages in the kettle or toasting thin slices of potato. It wasn't long before the first preserving recipes for the dishwasher also appeared.
The Italian Lisa Casali was responsible for the spread of the trend.
Basically, the consideration is not entirely wrong: a dishwasher heats the water strongly and ensures uniform distribution of water including steam over a period of time.
It is virtually like a large canning pot. The dishwasher is supposed to be suitable for boiling down vegetables. But meat, potatoes and fish were also cooked in some videos.
But it's not that simple after all.
Check it out here:
- Instructions: Boil down applesauce
- This is how you boil down tomato sauce!
- Instructions: Boil down pear puree
- How to cook beet salad
Cooking and boiling down in the dishwasher - these are the risks
The trend started with classic cooking recipes. Many YouTubers and Instagramer prepared potatoes in the dishwasher.
They are pre-cooked in it and guaranteed quite clean - was the big promise. There are also some recipes for fish, which you put in aluminum foil and put in the dishwasher. The same applies to meat.
However, we strongly advise against this.
Boiling down in the machine, in the pot and in the oven (I also advise against this) works because the air pressure inside the jar is different than in the pot. This creates a vacuum, which ensures that sauces and co. are safely boiled down.
The consistently high temperatures kill bacteria and germs - this takes either longer or shorter depending on the food (usually between 30 and 120 minutes). And the food is already preserved.
Why not boil down in the dishwasher?
We strongly advise against canning in the dishwasher. There are several reasons for this.
Temperature fluctuations: If you boil down in the oven, pot or the canning machine, make sure that the water boils continuously. In the dishwasher you can not control this process. Boiling down must always be done in boiling water. The dishwasher usually heats the water to less than 100°.
In addition, a dishwasher is subject to natural temperature fluctuations during the individual programs.
Content cools downIn the saucepan, you have the same temperature throughout the jar that you want to boil down. A dishwasher cools down again and again in between. This ensures that the jars and the contents cannot maintain the same core temperature.
Canning time: There are specific canning times for all foods. Pure tomato sauce with herbs is about 30 minutes, which also applies to fruit. Meat, on the other hand, needs 2 hours. In the dishwasher, you can never control this so precisely.
Salt and rinse aid: Residues of rinse aid and salt may be present in the dishwasher. They can attack the seals of the preserving jars.
Can you cook in the dishwasher?
We also strongly advise you not to do this. Wrapping a fish in aluminum foil and steaming it in the dishwasher is very unhygienic. Even in the cleanest dishwasher, there are always remnants of rinse aid, salt and dishwashing tab. In addition, dishwashers can contain germs and bacteria.
I wouldn't even use this device for washing potatoes. Unless you have a whole soccer team to feed with potatoes, peeling potatoes isn't really a hassle. By the way. Potatoes can be eaten with peels!
What are the alternatives to canning in the dishwasher?
The safest way to preserve food is to buy an automatic preserving machine. For smaller quantities, you can also use a 10-liter saucepan, which you fill with water and then bring the jars to the boil.
If you are just beginning to deal with the subject, then I advise you to preserve in the crock pot. A very detailed tutorial for beginners you can see here: "How to cook in the crock pot - a step by step guide„.
However, each method is only as safe as you stick to the canning times. You can see them here: "Table food preservation times„.
If you have acquired a taste for preserving larger quantities, you can buy an automatic preserving machine for about 100 euros.
Many experts advise against canning in the oven - as well as the dishwasher.
Our conclusion
Preserving in the dishwasher is a trend that I personally would not recommend and try. Ultimately, everyone decides for themselves whether they want to take the risk or not.
If you are canning in a crock pot or canning machine, you can be sure that the jar is sterile and draws a vacuum.
Have fun with the preserving :)
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