Gadgets and tools can make pickling and preserving easier
Fall is the perfect time for canning and preserving because of the bounty of fresh produce available. Here are a few accessories that can make projects a little easier.
Sure, you can cut your vegetables or fruits in a food processor, but then you have to move them to another vessel.
With the Black + Decker MultiPrep Slice ‘n Dice, you can skip a step and cut right into your bowl or pan. $85, qvc.com
Want to up your pickled-vegetable game? The Chef’n LemonAid Spiralizer Preserve Prep Lid fits on any wide-mouth canning jar and enables you to spiral-cut right into the jar. And it’s top-rack dishwasher safe. $9.99, chefn.com
Once you have your jars filled, the Quickler Preserve Prep Vacuum Lid will seal them while the pickles become pickled — in anywhere from one hour to one day.
There’s a vacuum pump built into the lid, which fits on any wide-mouthed canning jar. $14.99, chefn.com
Basic canning equipment hasn’t changed much in the past century or so, as this 21 1/2-quart granite ware canning pot illustrates. The porcelain-enameled steel conducts heat well, and the pot has a wire rack to enable water to circulate thoroughly around the jars. $34.95, surlatable.com
This five-piece canning starter set has many of the tools a beginning canner needs: a 6-inch stainless-steel colander, canning funnel, jam spoon, muslin and 12 labels. $29.99, bedbathandbeyond.com
