pasturizing-canning jars

[Rockfish]

We've read a number of places where people use quart canning jars in the pasturization process with a canning pot and rack. The procedure is to raise the temp of the milk in the water to 145 F for 30 minutes of 161 F for 20 seconds. Then you want to cool quickly-like putting the jars in ice water.

This invariably breaks the jars. Even if we leave out the ice until the milk cools a little in cool water, the jars break.

Anybody have this problem?

[Callieslamb]

You might post this in the dairy forum with the cooking forums....they might know more there.

I think that any jar heated that hot and immediately put into ice water would break. Every time. That process is exactly what you try to avoid when doing regular canning so I can't see how in the world it would work for milk.

[Jay]

Just leave the milk in the pot....cook it, cool it THEN put it into the jars.

[mary,tx]

When I was first learning how to pasteurize, I tried it in the jars and decided it wasn't a good idea for that reason. You can't put a very hot jar in very cold water!

Now I pasteurize in a steel pan which sits inside a wider pan of water, sort of double-boiler style. I heat to 165, stir, then put the pan in a sink of ice water for awhile before pouring the milk up in a pitcher to go in the freezer for an hour.

The only time I do the canning jars is when I am actually canning extra milk.