Canning for Beginners: What You Need to Know Before You Start

Food-safety first: This guide is an introduction, not a substitute for a tested canning recipe. Do not invent processing times, change ingredient proportions, or use an untested method. Use current guidance from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning or the National Center for Home Food Preservation for the specific food you are preserving.

1. Understand the two main canning methods

The two primary home-canning methods are boiling-water canning and pressure canning. The method depends on the food and its acidity.

Water-bath canning

Boiling-water canning is used for appropriate high-acid foods and properly acidified foods. Common categories include many fruits, jams and jellies, pickles, and tested tomato recipes. The exact recipe determines whether a food is appropriate for this method.

Pressure canning

Pressure canning is required for low-acid foods such as many vegetables and meats because safe processing requires temperatures higher than boiling water can provide. Use a tested recipe and the specified pressure, time, jar size, pack style, and altitude adjustment.

Simple rule: Don't choose a canning method based only on what seems convenient. Choose it based on a tested recipe for the exact food.

2. Start with basic equipment

You don't need every canning gadget sold in a store. A beginner setup can be fairly simple, provided the equipment is appropriate for the method you're using.

Glass canning jars in the size called for by your tested recipe
New two-piece lids appropriate for your jars and the manufacturer's instructions
Jar bands that are clean and in good condition
A boiling-water canner with a rack for water-bath recipes
A pressure canner for tested low-acid recipes
Jar lifter for moving hot jars safely
Wide-mouth funnel for cleaner filling
Clean towels and basic kitchen utensils

For pressure canning, learn how your specific canner works before your first batch. Follow the manufacturer's instructions as well as the tested recipe.

3. Use tested recipes

This is one of the most important habits for a new canner. A recipe that tastes good is not automatically a safe canning recipe. Safe processing depends on factors such as acidity, density, jar size, heat penetration, processing time, and pressure.

Reliable starting points include the National Center for Home Food Preservation's USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. Its guide is organized into sections covering principles, fruits, tomatoes, vegetables, meats and seafood, pickled foods, and jams and jellies.

4. Don't casually change a canning recipe

With ordinary cooking, you can often adjust ingredients to taste. Canning is different. Changing the amount of an ingredient, thickening a recipe, adding extra vegetables, changing jar sizes, or changing the processing method can affect how heat moves through the food and whether the finished product is safe.

If you want to change the flavor, make the tested canned product as written and adjust it after opening, when appropriate.

5. Pay attention to altitude

Processing instructions can change with altitude. Tested canning guides provide altitude adjustments where needed. Always check the altitude instructions for your location and the exact recipe rather than guessing.

6. Keep everything clean and organized

Start with clean equipment and good-quality food. Have your ingredients, jars, lids, tools, and recipe ready before you begin. Staying organized helps you follow the tested procedure without rushing or improvising.

7. Learn the difference between hot pack and raw pack

Some tested recipes specify a hot-pack method, while others may specify raw-pack. Follow the method in the recipe. Hot packing can help remove air from food tissues and may improve the quality of some canned foods, while raw packing is appropriate for certain products and recipes.

8. Know when not to taste a jar

Never taste home-canned food simply to determine whether it has spoiled. If a jar is leaking, bulging, spurting liquid, has a broken seal, has an unusual odor, or otherwise shows signs of spoilage, follow food-safety guidance and discard it without tasting.

When in doubt, throw it out. Botulism toxin cannot be reliably detected by sight, smell, or taste. Safe canning depends on following a tested process from start to finish.

9. Store finished jars properly

After processing and cooling according to the tested procedure, label jars with the contents and date. Store them in a cool, dark, dry place and use recommended storage practices from your canning guide.

10. Start with a simple project

For a first experience, choose a tested recipe that matches the equipment you already have and fits your schedule. Fruit products, jams, jellies, or properly tested pickles can be approachable water-bath projects. Low-acid vegetables and meats require pressure canning and should be approached only with the correct equipment and tested instructions.

A beginner's canning checklist

Choose a current, tested recipe.
Confirm which canning method the recipe requires.
Check jar size, processing time, pressure, and altitude instructions.
Gather and clean your equipment.
Prepare only the amount of food you can process according to the recipe.
Follow the recipe exactly.
Cool, check, label, and store the finished jars as directed.

Trusted canning resources

The National Center for Home Food Preservation's overview of the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning provides access to the guide's sections and is an excellent place to verify a recipe before you begin.

For more HomeWiseCompare preservation content, visit the HomeWiseCompare Canning section.

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015 revision, hosted by the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the National Agricultural Library. View the USDA canning guide resources.