Step-by-step recipe for making pickled cucumbers in an autoclave
Proven recipes for making canned cucumbers in an autoclave will appeal to almost any housewife. Thanks to modern equipment, the salting process takes place quickly, with minimal effort. In an autoclave, you can make delicious cucumbers, since they almost do not lose their taste, in contrast to the classic canning method. To safely cope with cooking, you should read the recommendations below.
Features of harvesting cucumbers in an autoclave
Pickled cucumbers should be placed so that about 5 cm remains to the surface.Pour in water until it covers the upper jars by 3-4 cm, and an oxygen pocket 5 cm high remains between the surface of the liquid and the lid. Salt vegetables only when ripe, without rotting and other defects.
From processing, they resort, if necessary, to washing, sorting, cutting, cleaning, cooking. Clean containers are placed on the bottom according to the recipe, vegetables are usually added without tamping. For pouring, use a marinade of hot water with salt, granulated sugar and vinegar.
Brine is poured into glass containers so that 2 cm remains to the lid. During sterilization, the composition will expand, it will require space.
Required components
To prepare preserves in an autoclave, you will need cucumbers, greens - horseradish leaves, black currant, dill, laurel leaves. You also need hot pepper, garlic, sugar, salt, 9% table vinegar. It is better not to use iodized salt, it softens the structure of vegetables, they become loose. It is advisable to take a coarse or stone one. A liter jar can hold up to 600 g of cucumbers, their quantity is preliminarily calculated taking into account this factor.
Selection and preparation of cucumbers
Cucumbers should be taken medium or small in size, without yellowness, ripe. If they were torn from the garden no later than a day before conservation, this is the best option. Rinse the fruits from dirt, soak in a container for 1 hour. Manipulation allows them to become crispy. After, get it out, dry it naturally.
How to Autoclave Cucumbers?
The autoclaves should be checked in advance. Close the cover making sure that the O-ring is present. So that it does not warp, she lay flat, tighten the nuts crosswise.
If the device does not have cassettes that compensate for the pressure difference in the containers and the apparatus, pump oxygen into the tank with a pump through the "nipple" until the pressure gauge shows 1 atm.Then the jars will remain intact when heated and cooked.
By the end of conservation, gradually reduce the pressure, reducing the heating until the heat source is completely turned off.
The installation should cool down to a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, then smoothly release the pressure with a nipple. There should be no sudden heating, cooling, relief and pressure increase. Otherwise, banks can be opened. Turn the pressure relief valve for a test time before opening the covers. Manipulation will help ensure that the pressure in the apparatus and outside is equalized. If no changes have occurred, you can safely open the lid.
Making a marinade
For a liter jar, you need 300-400 grams of marinade. It is prepared by adding 100 g of salt, 50 g of sugar to 2 liters of water. Stir the mixture, cook over low heat until bubbles appear. After, boil for another 5 minutes.
Putting components in jars
While the brine is being prepared, the components for preservation are laid out in containers. Horseradish stalks are taken, they are cut into pieces 5-7 cm long, placed in small pieces at the bottom of each container. There, put an umbrella of dill or parsley, at your discretion. Add to them a leaf of dark currant, laurel, 2 peppercorns, 3-4 heads of garlic.
After that, vegetables are laid, alternating layers with horseradish. On top of the cucumbers, put a slice of hot pepper. Vegetables should be placed as tightly as possible, but not rammed. At the final stage, fill the blanks with brine, leaving an air gap of 2-3 cm to the lid. Add 2 tablespoons to containers. 9% vinegar. Roll up the jars with lids, having measured the temperature in one of them in advance.
Canning cucumbers
Vegetables should be lowered into the switched off autoclave so that they do not stay under the influence of high temperatures for a long time. Otherwise, the cucumbers can turn into mush. Reduce the total heating time of the equipment and the conservation process itself by 5 minutes. Pour the marinade not boiling, but slightly cooled.
When the cans are filled in cassettes, loaded into an autoclave filled with hot water, close the equipment with a lid and put to heat. Wait until the device heats up to 90 degrees Celsius. Preserve containers in this mode for 10 minutes, then turn off the heating. After the pressure inside the device has dropped to zero, open the lid and remove the preservation.
Warnings
To safely autoclave canned food, it's important to follow these tips:
- do not open the lid when it is under pressure;
- do not turn on the device if it is still filled with water;
- it is forbidden to exceed the pressure indicated in the annotation;
- containers with labels cannot be taken for sterilization.
While the autoclave is in operation, do not tilt, move or touch hot surfaces.
Expiration date and storage rules for blanks
Preserves prepared in an autoclave are saved for 2-3 years, longer than after pickling cucumbers using the classical method. This is due to the fact that the equipment powerfully sterilizes containers, products, the temperature during processing is high, all bacteria die.
It is advisable to keep canned cucumbers in a dark room like a basement, pantry or cellar. It is important that the jars are not exposed to sunlight, the place is not damp, otherwise the vegetables may become moldy.
