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Spinach

A preserved spinach dish made by steaming or boiling spinach and canning it in sterilized jars.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Spinach

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Select young spinach and wash thoroughly.

  2. Steam or boil in a small amount of water until cooked.

Jar and seal

  1. Transfer to sterilized jars and press down with a sterilized spoon until the liquid covers the top.

  2. Adjust sterilized rubber rings and lids, then screw down tightly or fasten with a wire clamp or spring-top lid.

  3. Store jars away from drafts.

  4. Once cooled and the glass has contracted, tighten the lids again.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Young spinach
Forms the preserved food itself, providing the texture and flavour of the final jars.
Water
Provides the small amount of liquid for steaming or boiling and covers the spinach in the jars.

The step that matters

Pressing the spinach down until the liquid covers the top. Spinach left exposed to air can spoil, so the liquid must cover it fully. Trapped air pockets also let microbes grow, so pressing down and sealing tightly helps keep the jars stable.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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