# Potato questions



## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

I remember that we canned a lot of potatoes in quart jars and I remember they were quite tasty.

I was wondering, if you canned chunks of potato, could you open the jar, heat them up and drain and mash them into good homemade mashed potatoes?

I mean, to make mashed, you just boil and mash... but does canning change the texture so that doesn't work?

I'm seriously jonesing for a new pressure cooker.


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## BackwoodsBuff (Apr 25, 2013)

In theory this should work, but I have found they can be harder to mash. Why I don't know? I'd make smaller cubes...


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## margo (May 29, 2002)

Wolfy- I make mashed potatoes with the canned ones frequently. 

What I do: Open jar, pour out liquid, rinse potatoes and boil in fresh water making sure they are well done. drain and use a manual potato masher to break them down, (just punch them a few times) then mix with electric mixer adding butter, salt and hot milk. This can be done quickly before the potatoes cool too much. 
We dont have a cellar, so canned is the way we store potatoes.


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

Thank you both! I just saw the guy with the 50 lb bags of fresh potatoes today and the price went from $5 to $15... probably because the potato fields were flooded and there won't be much of a crop this rotation.

Still gonna pick up a bag tomorrow though!


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

So to dredge up my old thread....

Some people have told me I can use the water bath method of canning potatos and stuff, but that is only good for jams and jellies and such right?

Can I can in glass jars meatballs in broth, BBQ pork and/or potatoes using a water bath? Can I can/jar commercial BBQ sauce with meat at all?

I saw online a couple pressure cookers that were about $80 or so. They were being billed as okay for pressure canning, any opinions about an inexpensive pressure cooker to use for canning up stuff? 

I'd like to take advantage of in season deals on things, or regularly discounted things like the chicken leg quarters, cooking it and storing it. Also, I'd like to be able to make a huge mess of things like meatballs and store it up so that when I feel like meatballs I can open A single jar and eat them without all the mess/fuss/time invested to make them every time. Living alone means cooking for one is an every day chore and it does suck some days.

Thanks in advance for any help. I used to help in the canning of the veggies, but that was a long lifetime ago.

I'm still reading a ton of the threads on here, learning bits and pieces of stuff I'll need when I buy a pressure cooker and start canning.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Wolfy no you cannot can low acid foods (generally speaking meat and veggies) in a water bath. No matter who told you that, they are not properly informed.

Please, before you can anything read about this. The Ball Blue Book of Canning is very good and for online here is a link:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/

Botulism and other "beasties" will not be killed at the temperatures a BWB (Boiling Water Bath) can achieve. To achieve those temperatures you need pressure, and a certain amount of time at that temperature. Your altitude will determine how many pounds of pressure and for how long.

Please. For the sake of your lives do your research and understand this before you can anything. Cuz we want you around.


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

That's what I thought, AND what I'd read. I wanted to be certain because I told them the same thing. I'll be more adamant to them in case they're thinking of using the water bath themselves.

Thank you!


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Many pressure canners can also be pressure cookers but not the other way around. If they are small they do not get to pressure the same as the larger canners and because of that are unsafe to can in. Also, most of the cookers that say they can a few quarts are too small for a load of meatballs. You want to be able to can everything you've cooked up at one time. Meat usually cans for 75-90 minutes and there's a big cool down time. 

A good pressure canner is a great investment and will last a long, long time. And save you money in the long run!


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

Thank you! I'd wondered about the pressure cooker vs pressure cooker canner.

Good point on the size of a batch of meatballs too. I was thinking I could store cooked meatballs and do a couple batches each day. But I also don't want to do all the work and time of canning a 'batch' and only do a few quarts. A lot at once makes sense.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

The 12 qt. size is about the smallest I would go with. I _do_ have a 6 qt. that will hold 4 pints, but you have to just about double the time, so why bother? (40 minutes for green beans vs. 20 minutes in the large canner.)


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

You might also want to pressure can up chunks of beef. They are great to shred and wrap in a tortilla or add BBQ sauce to and have a sandwich. 

If you have a kindle there's a great e-book called "I Can Can Beef". She goes into selecting the cut of meat and all the details of canning beef and recipes. No meatballs, just straight up beef. I really enjoyed it for the recipes. Super simple and good stuff.


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

Also a good point sally!
vosey I LOVE meatballs!!! But beef doesn't go on sale much around here. If it did/does when I'm set up, I would probably can up chunks as well.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Wolfy-hound said:


> Also a good point sally!
> vosey I LOVE meatballs!!! But beef doesn't go on sale much around here. If it did/does when I'm set up, I would probably can up chunks as well.


Have you had canned meatballs? They're a little different from fresh or frozen. I'm OK with them for the convenience but I really prefer frozen because of the texture. But I also may not have found the perfect recipe yet. They are a little Chef Boyardeeish. 

The chunks canned are the same as any slow cooked beef roast.


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

I haven't had any homemade meatballs from jars,only the commercially available ones.

I'm limited on freezer space and it's Florida so power outages mean everything in the freezer could be lost if a major storm comes through. I do like to keep some in the freezer, but want to try canning them too.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Swedish meatballs do better the italian.

what is different is that my recipe calls for large pieces of ionon --as in half inch dice for the swedish where italian is smaller --same for the rest of the ingredieants. so the swedish are not as dense --they do often fall apart though.


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