Scratch

[pistos]

We've turned most Sunday afternoons into a bake-fest for Johnna and Grandma.  Time permitting, I'm usually able to cook the main course for the week's meals.  Everything baked/cooked on these cooking days is from scratch.

Baking accomplishments for the day:  1 large crusty French bread loaf, 1 skillet of cornbread, 1 very, very moist, melt-in-the

Comments

[miss_next]

Canning sauces? That's really intriguing - I had no idea it was possible to do canning at home. How do you seal the cans?

[pistos]

I read your recent cooking post, which in large part inspired this post. I admire your ability.

There's a minority of Americans, mainly those with rural upbringings, that can everything from pickles, to jams, to sauces. There's a wealth of information on the internet on the appropriate process to use on different types of foods and sauces. New lids and heat pretty much sums up the canning process. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

[miss_next]

That's fascinating. On this side of the Atlantic we use glass jars. I've no idea how you would put a new lid on a can because it just isn't done over here; I suppose you could use solder, but you'd have to be very quick to get a proper seal.

[pistos]

I'd really hate to open a soldered can!

Canning here is done with glass jars, so it's a bit of a misnomer. The jars are reusable, the lids are not. There's only one manufacturer in the US that I know of, Ball, who makes the lids. They use a paraffin/plastic coating that when heated creates a beautiful seal.

[mountain_girl]

I used to do a lot of canning. These days, it's limited mostly to jams. I much prefer cooking from scratch and even though I do cook a lot of Japanese meals, I don't consider it exotic because it's what I was raised on. I also don't care for prepackaged foods; they taste "funny" to me plus the sodium levels are usually over the top.

[pistos]

We do canning in spurts. We might put away a couple of cases and then not engage in the activity again for another couple of years. Of all things, I've never had much luck with jams. It could either be the lack of a good recipe, or technique. I'll have to get with you at some point to compare notes

[graywolf44]

With a menu like that, you could open your own restaurant!

[pistos]

Like brain surgery and astrophysics, some things are better left to the professionals!

[graywolf44]

Heh. Point taken. ;)