# canning without boiling



## eagleorchard

I ended up putting some marinara sauce in glass jars without processing them in a hot water bath first and left them out on the counter (having forgotten to put them in the freezer after they cooled down a bit) and the lids have closed and sealed. Without breaking the "no canning debates" rule, I was wondering if anyone else thinks that this is going to be just fine and I just need to watch out for lids that aren't properly sealed when I open the jars like I would if I had actually put the jars through the water bath.


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## Danaus29

I've put warm fruit from the dehydrator in a canning jar and had the lid seal. Your marinara really needs to be canned. It's not canned now so there can't possibly be a canning debate.


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## PlicketyCat

The sauce was probably hot enough to create a vacuum when it cooled, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it was hot enough to kill all of the beasties or acidic enough to protect against botulism.

I think you'd be ok if you either processed them now or put them in the freezer the way they are now... as long as they haven't sat out in a warm room for more than a day or two.


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## Macybaby

Read up to find out why a person would process in the first place. I know many people who do just as you did, and so far no one has died. 

But in talking to them, they have no idea about acidic levels or killing bacteria, they just thing the only purpose is to get the jars to seal.

Do they get a touch of the "stomach flue" when they eat salsa? Most people don't understand the symptoms of mild food poisoning either, and unless you eat something really bad, normally your system handles it fine. 

Even if the product was boiling hot, if you did not have sterile jars, there is no knowing what might be in there now. But since you aren't concerned about botulism (being BWB product) then most everything else will show signs (visual, taste or smell). 

I might take the risk with my own product, as I know exactly what I put in there and what I did, but I would not give them away to others. I don't expect anyone to take the same risks I'm comfortable with. 

If I did that (and I could see myself doing just that) I'd open them up, dump them in a pot and bring it back to a boil, put it back into clean jars and either process or put in the freezer. I how fast something left out in my house gets stuff growing in it. (makes it fun to get sourdough starter going)


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## mekasmom

eagleorchard said:


> I ended up putting some marinara sauce in glass jars without processing them in a hot water bath first and left them out on the counter (having forgotten to put them in the freezer after they cooled down a bit) and the lids have closed and sealed.


You need to can it. The seal isn't really as important as making everything sterile, and killing all the bacteria in the product. It just sealed because the sauce was hot, but there would still be contamination just from the air that touched the jars, lids, and sauce.
I have read about some people using sterile jars, then hot product, and then putting them in the oven rather than canning, but I have never tried that. The issue is that everything has to be both sealed and sterile.
I personally wouldn't start all over again, but I would process them for a good period of time. But that's just me.


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## Karen

Although I totally respect other methods and people's choice to do as they please, personally I wouldn't take any chances and I'd re-can it too. 

The reason is sealing of the jar is *only* valid if the contents of the jar have all the bacteria and bad stuff killed off. Without that being done, you're only sealing up a jar of danger.


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## SquashNut

Most likely the food will start to rot and come unsealed in the near future.


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## blynn

Make sure you have ample headspace if you freeze those jars! I cracked a couple quarts of split pea soup not too long ago, thought I left enough headspace, but I didn't.


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## happydog

SquashNut said:


> Most likely the food will start to rot and come unsealed in the near future.


Yup. What Squash said.


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## farmgal

they need that boil time to kill bacteria, will make a mess in your cupboard...lol Sometimes I will take a jar like that and just boil it in the microwave and pop a lid on it. This seems to work.


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## J2E1

SquashNut said:


> Most likely the food will start to rot and come unsealed in the near future.


Which is one reason I leave the rings off of processed jars because it might hide a lid that has indeed failed.


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