Ingredients for Canned tomatoes
- Tomatoes
- Salt
Cooking Instructions for making Canned tomatoes
Select ripe tomatoes. Wash them and Dip them in hot Water between 5 and 10 minutes or until the skin starts to wrinkle. Remove them from the hot water and allow them to cool/ run them through cold water.
Peel off the skin together with the eye. If they’re well blanched, they should peel off easily.
Puree the tomatoes either by hand as shown here or by the blender. If using a blender, blend just under a minute
Put your puree in your cooking pot(sufuria) and bring it to boil. *Do not add water.
Once the puree starts boiling start stirring to prevent it from burning at the bottom. Stir regularly for about an hour or until you see the color of the puree darkening as the water in the puree evaporates. Undercooking may lead to botulism so be careful. The level of puree starts going down (as shown) and that is fine.
Start preparing your bottles as it boils. Wash your bottles thoroughly with soap and water.Wipe the bottles with a clean dry towel.Put the bottles without the cover into an oven (100 degrees celcious for about 15 minutes). I used 300ml, 350ml and 500ml bottles, I recommend these sizes since once you open them you can only use them for a maximum of one week while refrigerated. Separately dip the bottle covers in boiling water.
Removing one bottle at a time, fill it with the puree leaving small space just about to the brim. For 300ml and 350ml add 1tsp of salt, for 500ml use 1.5tsp. Do not stir. Cover the bottle with a hot lid and rest it upside down on a dry kitchen towel.The heat from the puree will move the salt through to the bottom (which is now the top) This creates a vacuum effect which is the primary preservation process. Repeat this step for the rest of the bottles. Let the bottles rest until they cool.
After the have completely cooled you can now turn them upright. They can stay unfridgerated up to 6 months. Please note that once you open a bottle it will need to be kept refrigerated and you can use it for up to one week.
Warning. The puree and the bottles are handled while hot. Be careful. I advise you do it away from children for a small accident here can turn fatal especially with skin burns. Test your lids on the bottles while cleaning to ensure that they lock well, as the bottles will need to be airtight.
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