To Can String-beans
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and pack
Wash the string beans thoroughly, remove the strings, and cut them into 1-inch lengths.
Pack the beans tightly into clean tin or glass cans.
Fill each can with water.
If using tin cans, wash and rinse them in boiling water before adding the beans.
Seal and cook
Cover and seal the cans.
Place the cans in a steam cooker or wash boiler, cover with water, and boil for 4 to 5 hours.
If using glass cans, ensure they are new or sterilized by boiling in water for 1 hour.
Use new rubber seals for glass cans.
Screw down the covers tightly.
Cook in a steam cooker for 4 to 5 hours.
If using a wash boiler, place 4 to 5 layers of cloth in the boiler.
Wrap each can with a cloth to prevent breaking.
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
- String beans
- The vegetable being preserved, softening into a tender texture during long cooking.
The step that matters
Boil the sealed cans for 4 to 5 hours. Sustained heat is what destroys spoilage microorganisms in the beans, and the cans must be tightly sealed so they cannot be recontaminated afterward. Shortening or skipping the long boil risks spoilage.
“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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