Method of canning food products and canned product

Claim 1

A method of sterilizing and/or cooking and canning solid food products, which consists essentially of (1) filling open canning containers each with pieces of the food product in the presence of a small quantity of aqueous liquid, said quantity occupying only a minor proportion of the container space not occupied by the food product yet being sufficient to collect in a bottom region of the containers and, upon being boiled with the formation of steam, to drive the air from the container; (2) applying a cover non-sealingly to the opening of each container; (3) then subjecting the liquid containing bottom region of the container to a preliminary heating at high temperature and thus boiling the liquid in the container until the liquid therein has boiled long enough to drive the air out of the container; (4) then by completely sealing the cover to the container sealing the contents in an atmosphere of steam; (5) then further heating the container to and holding it at an increased temperature sufficient, and for a time sufficient, at least to sterilize the contents: (6) and then cooling the container and thereby producing a high vacuum therein by condensation of the steam therein.

Claim 2

A method of sterilizing and/or cooking and canning solid food products, which consists essentially of (1) filling open canning containers each with pieces of the food product in the presence of a small quantity of aqueous liquid, said quantity occupying only a minor proportion of the container space not occupied by the food product yet being sufficient to collect in a bottom region of the containers and, upon being boiled with the formation of steam, to drive the air from the container; (2) applying a cover non-sealingly to the opening of each container; (3) then subjecting the liquid containing bottom region of the container to a preliminary heating at high temperature and thus boiling the liquid in the container until the liquid therein has boiled long enough to drive the air out of the container; (4) then by completely sealing the cover to the container sealing the contents in an atmosphere of steam; (5) then further heating the container to and holding it at an increased temperature sufficient, and for a time sufficient, at least to sterilize the contents: (6) and then cooling the container and thereby producing a high vacuum therein by condensation of the steam therein.

Claim 12

A method of sterilizing and/or cooking and canning solid food products such as vegetables, which consists essentially of filling cylindrical cans open at their tops with pieces of the food product in the presence of a small quantity of aqueous liquid occupying about 5 to 20% of the volume of each can not occupied by the food product; clinching lids non-sealingly to the tops of the cans; then, while rotating each can about its longitudinal axis and holding it inclined so that the liquid therein collects in a certain region of its bottom and side wall, directly heating the liquid containing region of the can by flame and thus boiling the liquid in the can until the liquid therein has boiled long enough for the steam formed to drive substantially all the air out of the can; then seaming the lid to each can so as to seal its contents therein in an atmosphere of steam; then directly heating each can by flame for about 1 to 2 minutes until its contents reach a temperature of about 125° to 135° C. and holding this temperature for a predetermined sterilizing and/or cooking period of about 1 to 5 minutes; and then quickly cooling each can by applying a cold water spray thereto, whereby a high vacuum amounting to at least 27 inches of mercury is produced in the can by condensation of the steam therein.

Claim 13

A method of sterilizing and/or cooking and canning solid food products such as vegetables, which consists essentially of filling cylindrical cans open at their tops with pieces of the food product in the presence of a small quantity of aqueous liquid occupying about 5 to 20% of the volume of each can not occupied by the food product; clinching lids non-sealingly to the tops of the cans; then, while rotating each can about its longitudinal axis and holding it inclined so that the liquid therein collects in a certain region of its bottom and side wall, directly heating the liquid containing region of the can by flame and thus boiling the liquid in the can until the liquid therein has boiled long enough for the steam formed to drive substantially all the air out of the can; then seaming the lid to each can so as to seal its contents therein in an atmosphere of steam; then directly heating each can by flame for about 1 to 2 minutes until its contents reach a temperature of about 125° to 135° C. and holding this temperature for a predetermined sterilizing and/or cooking period of about 1 to 5 minutes; and then quickly cooling each can by applying a cold water spray thereto, whereby a high vacuum amounting to at least 27 inches of mercury is produced in the can by condensation of the steam therein.