Question on #10 cans and re-canning

[cannerguy]

In this uncertain economy I have been slowly trying to buy a little more each week and stock up for a rainy day. My question involves buying #10 cans of food items and store them in Mason jars using the food saver to vacuum seal them.

I searched the web and haven't found any good answer to this question other then one person remembering Brianschef in one of his posts had successfully re-canned fruit. Hopefully, I can find an answer here.

What I thought was, if you sanitize the bought can by soaking it in chlorinated water for say a half hour, wipe it dry before opening and with sterilized Mason jars readied, re-portion the contents and then vacuum seal the jars using the food saver or other appropriate suctioning device.

Would that be a safe enough method?

 

[mcnerd]

Nope and if you happen to do that with low-acid foods you will create an environment for the Botulism toxin to flourish.

BTW, "sterilizing" doesn't really do much unless your entire environment (like an operating room) is also totally sterile, otherwise any contact with the air, your breath, hands, utensils, etc., etc., instantly transfers germs and bacteria and no more sterile. Even in home canning, pre-sterilizing jars has been eliminated as long as processing time is 10 minutes or more.

You might also read:
National Center for Home Food Preservation | Canning FAQs

 

[Wyogal]

Sounds like you would blow a whole lot of money on emergency room visits...
"re-canning" is no way to save money.
Look for case lot sales that will allow you to buy smaller cans in larger quantity for a lower price point per item.

 

[sparrowgrass]

You could freeze the contents in smaller packages. But the canning idea would NOT work.

If I can peaches, and have a jar that doesn't seal, my only options are to use it immediately, refrigerate for a couple of days, or re-can it, redoing the whole process of boiling and sealing. The peaches would be mush if I recanned them.

 

[cannerguy]

With regards to swarrowgrass's comment That is what I wanted to do. Take contents from the store bought can and put in smaller portions using canning jars (not re-canning process) and refrigerate in a vacuum sealed environment using the food saver system

As I understand, using a food saver the contents will last longer.

Maybe, I am completely missing something here?

 

[mcnerd]

Your initial post implied lots of storage of #10 can contents, assuming for a long storage period, and no mention of refrigeration.

Assuming that refrigeration is included in the procedure, vacuum-sealing the contents will probably extend the usefulness of the food by a couple weeks. Not really helpful for long-term storage.

 

[cannerguy]

Thanks, mcnerd. I should have been clearer with my post. My fridge is quite large and I could utilize the extra space. That's where the jarring idea came in. I figured if I can get an extra couple weeks, it would be worth it over the long run.

I figured on freezing some items (that freeze well) also. My idea was to buy in bulk, but only open the bulk cans as needed and jar the rest.

Just thought it would save money after the initial investment of the food saver and jars.

 

[Wyogal]

I still wouldn't do it. Gambling with food poisoning is not a money saving idea. We used to belong to a large warehouse club, Sams', but realized that the storage issue and the large size portions were not all that economical. I do better by buying items on sale, more frequently.
Re-jarring, or whatever you want to call it, of commercially prepared food is a dangerous practice. and for what? to save a few pennies? Our local grocery store has case-lot sales, and regular sales on canned items that turn out to be cheaper than the larger containers.
I would recommend that you sharpen your shopping skills instead of playing Russian Roulette with repackaging food.
Granted, We buy larger cuts of meat and repackage when we get home, but that is different. Preparing fresh food for repackaging is different than opening a commercially prepared food, then rejarring it.
What types of foods are you thinking of doing this with?

 

[sparrowgrass]

I can't imagine that vacuum sealing would extend the life of already canned food at all. The microbes in the air would contaminate the food, no matter how carefully you sterilized everything.

Not a good idea. Divide the can into freezable portions, or buy smaller cans.

 

[cannerguy]

Well, it looks like the general consensus is not to chance it. So, I think I will take the advice on the canned goods.

What I don't understand though is why is it ok to vacuum seal bagged food like rice, cookies, crackers and the like. I would think if these microbes hold true, wouldn't that affect that food as well. I have had pickles, relish, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard in the fridge for months and never had a problem.

The canned goods I was thinking of would be fruits and veggies. No meat products.

Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm just trying to understand.

 

[Dillbert]

stuff like rice, crackers, etc is dry -

if you put an orange and a cracker on the table and leave them, which will spoil?

stuff like relish etc tends to the high acid side - which tends to help "preserve" them.

you can do what you're thinking - divide up a big can into smaller volumes, but it's not likely that vacuum sealing them will give you any (notable) longer storage than just plain ole "covered in the fridge."

vegetables will go bad before fruits in syrup (sugar is another 'preservative')

vacuum sealing reduces the amount of oxygen/moisture inside the package environment - less oxygen, fats don't 'oxidize'/go rancid, cookies taste better longer.

less oxygen/moisture barrier around meats (for example) generates less freezer burn / discoloration - but it's still the freezing part that "preserves" not the vacuum...

 

[Wyogal]

yep, what Dilbert said...

 

[mcnerd]

As I previously stated, refrigeration is fine, just as it is for any food item. Vacuum sealing will extend that storage period for awhile (not long term) because you are removing the air. That's the whole purpose of the FoodSaver.

High-acid foods (lots of acid in them) and those with sugar (not artificial) will last even longer because their environment tends to inhibit bacteria growth. Common sense prevails.

I've transferred some items from a #10 can before, mostly pickles that I go through rather quickly, but there really isn't that much of a savings and the risk of contamination over time is fairly high because you are dealing with an open container of food -- the fact that you transfer it to sterile jars does not change the fact that it has been exposed to the air and bacteria that will grow over time.

 

[cannerguy]

Thanks Everyone for your input. I decided to play it safe. I bought the portion size cans. Like mentioned the cost difference between the #10 cans and going to the Emergency Room is not going to save me money in the long run. The dry stuff I can use the canning jars to keep out bugs. Other items I buy in bulk will just go in the freezer.

Thanks again,
Henry

 

[cannerguy]

Just going through cabinets and checking dates. Curious about several cans of Tomatoes and tomato paste I found dating back to June 2008
The cans say "Best buy that date" I know they are not an expensive items. The cans are in excellent condition, no rust or dents. Should I toss these or do you think they are still nutritious?

It is not the expense as it is minimal, but I was brought up never to waste anything and has stayed with me to a fault over the years.

 

[mcnerd]

Ask that question again in about 3-4 years. One year is minimal and the tomatoes are fine. The tomato paste does tend to darken with age however.

 

[yourstrulyewalani]

I know it's been awhile since anyone has posted on this topic but I'm very new here so please bear with me.

Correct me if I am wrong but perishables such as fruits, veg etc can potentially be high risk food items. Dry goods such as crackers and rice (uncooked) if kept dry can potentially keep for longer. More so rice than crackers I would think.

I agree with you on the saving money and health & safety is the primary concern. Maybe buying fresh and dehydrating or canning from scratch would be best if you do not prefer to buy smaller portions of canned food from a grocery store.

I am very interested in this topic as well I a have been cooking and baking for a long time and all this canning info is so new to me its scary. I mean botulism?? Eek! Definately worth reading about. Never hurts to have some extra food around with all the predictions we have been having anyways.

I hope you found some answers by now.