Sterilising Bottles or Jars by Heat Processing or the Campden Process
Most of us are fairly familiar with sterilising jam jars or kilner type jars in either Milton Solution, baby sterilising tablets, boiling water, via the dishwasher, but not so many people are familiar with using a heat process or the Campden Process to preserve food in bottles or jars for longer term keeping. It is not a complicated process, you have to be patient but it does result in a longer shelf life for home preserved foods. Heat Process The heat process which is my preferred method is to place your chosen bottles (which have previously been sterilised by one of the methods mentioned above) and then the contents added to the jars or bottles. I feel that you cannot be too clean when you are dealing with food for long term storage. The bottles or jars are then placed on a trivet or false bottom in a deep saucepan. I have used a soft tea towel or towel to pad the jars or bottles against the direct heat and thus putting the jars at risk of breaking and leachi...