Bernardin's New BPA-Free Canning Lids

This has been the first year in many, many, many years that my home canning in down.  Despite that, I am always on the look-out for home canning products.  One of the recent food contaminants concerns has been BPA (Bisphenol-A), an additive found in many plastics.  Most of the exposure to BPA is dietary through plastic food containers and the lining in metal cans.  The general work around is to avoid using plastics entirely and if not possible use BPA-free plastics.  Home canners, however were forced to use BPA lined single use canning lids unless they used glass inserts or Tattler reusable canning lids.  [Please note the warning against using the 4ever Recap canning lids as they have an extremely high seal failure rate during storage.] 

One of the reasons I do a lot of home canning is to avoid food contaminates like BPA.  The fact that the metal single use snap canning lids contained BPA has bothered me ever since I made that discovery.  As a result I have been in the process of switching to glass inserts and Tattlers.  However, only gaskets for the Gem jars are currently available which limits how many of my inserts can be used and switching to Tattlers is expensive when doing large scale canning.  Despite the additional initial cost, Tattlers really are the frugal choice but only if you going to do enough canning that they will be reused to justify the added expense.  Glass inserts and Tattlers are too expensive to be used on home canned foods that will be given as gifts.

I recently discovered Bernardin BPA-free canning lids at Dollarama.  Dollarama is currently the cheapest source for the single use canning lids.  A couple of years ago a package of 12 cost $1 but now they are $1.50, still almost half the cost of other retailers. A lost cost BPA-free canning lid is definitely a welcomed addition in the home canning world!

Visually there is very little difference between the BPA-free lids and those containing BPA.  In comparison to the older gold colour Bernardin lids, the underside is whiter than the newer silver lids.  The newer lids with BPA are very slightly mottled while the BPA-free lids look smoother.  Other than that, you can't really tell the difference.  You can however, have peace of mind that you are not contaminating your food with BPA.

I currently have a stash of 36 boxes of snap lids in three sizes (standard, widemouth, Gem).  As I use those boxes I am replacing with the BPA-free lids.  In general, food does not come into contact with the plastic coating when foods are properly processed in a boiling water bath canner.  Food will come into contact with the plastic coating when foods are pressure canned.  It is imperative to follow the instructions with the lids as the prep has changed.  The plastisol sealant on the new lids (with or without BPA) has changed so there is no longer a need to boil or heat the lids before processing.  Simply place them on the prepared jars and continue with the sealing process. 

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Good Kitchen Practices to Reduce Food Borne Illness

Most people will say they have the flu when in fact they have a mild case of food poisoning.  The flu is a much more serious illness that can take weeks to recover from whereas the short duration of mild food poisoning only lasts a day or two.  Food borne illnesses resulting from food poisoning are caused by bacteria (eg. Clostridium botulinum, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio cholerae) or molds or parasites (eg. and can range from mild to severe even causing death.  Foods can be naturally contaminated with bacteria that can cause food born illnesses (eg. C. botulinum) or they can become by improper food handling and storage (eg. E. coli).  Practicing safe food handling in the kitchen can greatly reduce the chances of contracting a food borne illness.  This week's Frugal Kitchens 101 focuses on some of the things you can do in the kitchen to reduce the risk for contracting a food borne illness.

• the danger zone - The food danger zone is 4.4°C (40°F) to 60° (140°F).  This is the range where foods easily become contaminated and can quickly spoil.  It is very important to keep cold foods cold (below 4.4°C) and hot foods hot (above 60°C).  Hot foods meant for storage should be quickly cooled then stored.  The foods at risk tend to be those served buffet style especially those served at home functions, picnics and church gatherings where chaffing dishes (hot) and ice (cold) may not be used.  When hosting this type of event if at all possible use chaffing dishes, crockpots, tabletop roasters and ice to keep foods at their proper temperatures.  Never store foods that may have unintentionally been in the danger zone.  Avoid having others help with the clean-up of the actual food where something like leftover potato salad that has been left out too long might end up in your refrigerator through the good intentions of others. 
• hand washing - Your hands should be washed in hot, soapy water before beginning any food prep and then several times during the food prep as you touch surfaces that may be contaminated (eg. refrigerator handle, raw foods, etc.). 
• food prep -  Use separate cutting boards for meats, seafood, poultry, and fruits or vegetables to prevent cross contamination.  Spray down your cutting boards with alcohol before washing then again after washing to kill any remaining bacteria.  Never place cooked foods onto a surface that had raw food on during the food prep stage.  Knife handles in particular can be problematic if they are not all one piece as food residues especially blood from meats and poultry can get between the handle and blade at the bolster.  If you have this design of knife and we all have at least one of them spray this area until soaked with rubbing alcohol before and after washing.
• pre-cut - Many grocery stores offer a variety of pre-cut fruits and vegetables as a convenience product.  The more a food has been handled the greater the chance for contamination and you have no idea who or how it was handled.  The second problem with pre-cut is the surface area is greatly increased allowing bacteria more space to multiply.  This is one reason I don't like buying pre-ground meats of any kind.
• fruits & vegetables - All raw fruits and vegetables as well as fresh herbs should be washed prior to consumption regardless whether the package says they were pre-washed or they were just picked from the garden or they are organic.  E.coli in particular has been a contaminant in pre-washed salad greens and spinach.
• clean-up as you go - I cannot stress this enough!  If you watch any of the cooking shows you will notice that cleaning the prep area during the prep is as important as the food prep itself.  This is a safety measure to prevent cross contamination as well as accidental injury.
• taste testing - One of my pet peeves is someone tasting from the stirring spoon then returning the same spoon to the pot.  The human mouth is the dirtiest part of the body with high bacterial levels.  It also has high enzyme levels needed for the initial stage of breaking down foods.  Returning a spoon that has been tasted from introduces both bacteria and enzymes that can cause food spoilage as well as food borne illness.  If taste testing remove a small portion to a dipping bowl then sample from that bowl using a separate spoon from the stirring spoon.
• if in doubt throw it out - This should be your kitchen mantra!  Never taste food that you suspect may have spoiled as some as in C. botulinum toxin is odourless, colourless and tasteless but only a very small amount can cause serious illness or death.  Do not scrape mold off of jam then consume the jam.  While scraping mold off of hard cheeses is supposed to be fine I don't recommend it.
• food preservation (eg. canning, freezing, drying, curing) - Use the current, up to date guidelines for safe home food preservation.  Do not take shortcuts or use out dated, unsafe preserving methods.  Always use the proper canning processing method - low acid foods are pressure canned processed while high acid foods can be boiling water bath processed.
• kitchen towels, sponges, dishcloths - I view all of these items as single use.  What I mean by this is a I will use a t-towel or multiple t-towels during food prep for a meal.  During the food prep these are tossed into a small basket I keep in the kitchen but away from the food prep area as they become soiled.  They are removed from the kitchen at the end of that meal's clean-up and allowed to dry until laundry day where they are washed in hot water.  On any given day this means I can easily go through 5 t-towels but on busy canning days I may go through as many as 20.  Dish cloths are treated the same way and I really don't like kitchen sponges so seldom use them.  A sponge can be sanitized by placing in the microwave on high for 2 minutes to kill off bacteria.  This should be done 2 to 3 times per week.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Easy Sanitizing

Pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle. When you are doing any meat, poultry or fish prep keep the spray bottle containing alcohol handy. Spray any drippings that get onto the counter and spray your cutting board before washing. The alcohol will denature any biologicals on contact before they can become problems in your kitchen.

Bulk Beef - On the Hoof

Black Angus Cows
July 2, 2009

Sadly in today's times of mega supermarkets many people are quite distanced from where their food actually comes from. Some of our friends and family who are elementary school teachers (JK, primary) have told me that many of their students when questioned about food think that their food simply comes from the grocery store rather than farms and orchards. Most people have become accustomed to buying whatever produce and meats they want regardless of the season without considering the distance the food has travelled. The average food travels 1,500 miles from the farmer to your table. This is not eco-friendly at all! Compounding the problem is the recent surge in food contaminated with pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella as well as the use of hormones when raising meats. More so now than ever it is important to get to know your food source by purchasing locally within a 100 mile radius of your home. Doing so not only supports local farmers but ensures you a real connection and greater appreciation of food.

I have often mentioned purchasing meat in bulk on the hoof on this blog. This is a term widely used in rural areas but people living in urban areas, purchasing all their meats in handy ready-to-use packages often as what buying on the hoof is. Pictured above is the small herd of Black Angus cattle (5 cows) our friend is raising. Aren't they gorgeous? We have already spoken for two cows that will be ready in spring 2010 so it is bought on the hoof while the cow is still alive. These Black Angus are pasture fed spring to early fall then supplemented with hay and corn in the winter months. They are raised hormone free using excellent animal husbandry skills which very important to us!

We along with three other couples pay for the cow(s) in late winter. The meat is divided equally amongst the couples. The cow is taken to an abattoir for slaughter, hanging and cutting. The cow hangs in a controlled temperature cooler for two weeks before it can be cut. Hanging ages the beef which causes tenderization of the meat through the release of enzymes in the muscles that cause a further breakdown of the connective tissue. The aged meat is then cut to our specifications, packaged and froze ready for the freezer. This spring we had the cow cut front to back then divided into quarters so we ended up with cuts from both the front and hind quarter. We paid $2.35/lb across all cuts for 220 lb of beef which works out to enough beef to serve 1.3 lb per day for 6 full months for our family. We of course do not eat beef daily so this is just to illustrate how long this beef would last.