Discover the best Methods and Retort Time Tables for Home Retort in Pouches

 CHEFTALK

Discover the best methods for home retort in pouches

The best time of the year to start your retort activities is here. Products are in abundance and at its lowest prices. Time therefore to get started.

Several request for a chart of retort times for various products has prompted us to publish information about retort times for pouch retort.

Pouch retort has a significant advantage over retort in cans and jars for quality and convenience reasons. Pouch retort times are 10% to 25% higher than can or jar retort, moist content in finished pouch retort products have been proven to be 10% to 15% higher compared to can and jar retort. Overall quality and consumer acceptance of pouch retort products have been found to be of higher levels during sensory evaluation tests.

In addition are retort pouches environmental friendlier, take up less storage space and are easy to purchase compared to cans and jars. www.vacupack.com  for USA and www.vacupack.ca for Canada.

Starting the retort process

Storage Saver

Pre-preparing products for retort is the key to a good finished product. Ensure all working surfaces and utensils are clean. The products to be retorted must be as fresh as possible. When food is pre-cooked before the retort process ensure that is has cooled down preferably to refrigeration temperatures prior to retorting.

Ensure that sharp objects (bones) that may be present in food are removed or positioned such that they pose no danger to damaging the pouches.

Preparing your pressure canner

You will need 2 quarts of water in your pressure cooker for all retort products.

Pressure and retort times are important, pressure and times given below are meant for an altitude of 2000 ft or less, if you happen to live at an higher altitude you need to apply one (1) pound of pressure  for each additional 2000 ft. The cooking times remain the same!

Retort & Vacuum Sealing
The retort canning bags must be vacuum sealed before attempting to can.  The air evacuation keeps the bags from blowing out the side seams while canning.  A commercial chamber vacuum sealer with retort capability is required.  http://vacupack.com/commercial-vacuum-sealers-packers

Meat:

For all beef, poultry, pork, lamb, veal, venison, other game meat, (four legged or birds), offal’s (liver, heart, tongue) raw or pre-cooked (stews, boiled meats, sausages, cold cuts), follow the guide below: This is a personal guide, the official time and temperatures have not been published by the FDA. Can at your own risk. 

Meats can be pre-prepared seasoned or marinated before retort, ensure to allow cooling before retort.

Pressure Pounds:	½ pt< = (2 or 4 oz retort)	pint = (8 oz retort)	Quart = (16 oz retort)
Canner Pressure 10 LBS	65 min.	75 min.	90 min.

       

This pressure and timing guide ensures that you have reached a core temperature of 121 Celsius or 249.8 F at the coldest point inside the product as per the schematic picture below for the time period necessary to eliminate all contaminating bacteria including their spores.

           Solids only                               with liquid content

Seafood:

Retort times for different types of seafood vary even though the pressure remains consistent with meat retort at 10 Lbs.

Seafood can be seasoned and fried before retort to add extra flavor. Do not cook the product all the way through, the retort process takes care of that. Add sauce or other additives e.g. herbs and spices to the pouch to your liking. 

Pressure pounds:	½ pt< = (2 or 4 oz retort)	pint = (8 oz retort)	Quart = (16 oz retort)
Canner pressure 10 LBS
Clams and oysters	85 min	95 min	110 min
Crab meat	95 min	105 min	120 min
Fish (General)	100 min	110 min	125 min
Lobster	100 min	110 min	125 min
Salmon	110 mi	120 min	130 min
Shrimp (wet pack)	60 min	75 min	100 min
Shrimp (dry pack)	110 min	120min	130 min
Tuna	110 min	120 min	140 min

                                                   

Vegetables

Vegetable retort times vary quite significant based on the nature of the vegetable (hard, semi-hard or soft) the guide below is based on raw vegetables. Season before retort, salt serves as a preservative and flavor.

Pressure pounds:	½ pt< = (2 or 4 oz retort)	pint = (8 oz retort)	Quart = (16 oz retort)
Canner Pressure 10 LBS
Asparagus	20 min	25 min	55 min
Baked Beans	75 min	85 min	90 min
Beans, Lima	40 min	45 min	60 min
Beans, Snap	25 min	30 min	35 min
Beets, baby	30 min	35 min	55 min
Carrots, young	20 min	25 min	30 min
Corn, whole kernel	60 min	65 min	85 min
Corn on the cob	60 min	65 min	75 min
Eggplant	35 min	40 min	45 min
Greens, all kinds	60 min	60 min	70 min
Kohlrabi	30 min	35 min	40 min
Okra	25 min	30 min	45 min
Parsnip, turnips	30 min	30 min	35 min
Peas, green	30 min	30 min	N.A.
Peas, Black eyed	30 min	30 min	N.A.
Peppers, Pimento	10 min	10 min	N.A.
Pumpkin, smashed	75 min	75 min	90 min
Summer squash, Zucchini	20 min	35 min	40 min
Squash, winter (cubed)	50 min	55 min	90 min
Succotash	60 min	75 min	90 min
Sweet potatoes	75 min	90 min	90 min
Tomatoes	10 min	10 min	10 min

        

Fruits  

Use fruits that are on their peak of quality.

Do not use over ripe fruits and retort only as much as you can handle during the period of time you spent on canning.

Clean the fruits thoroughly by rinsing to remove any dirt and/or chemicals present on the fruits, dirt contains some of the bacteria that are very hard to kill. Do not soak fruits for a very long time as this result in loss of nutrients and flavor.

Except for berries, all regular fruits can be processed under a pressure of 5 LBS for 10 minutes.

Berries and blended fruits e.g apple sauce can be processed using 5 LBS for 8 minutes.   

Syrup may be added to the fruits and below is a guide how to balance sugar syrup.

Light syrup	2 cups sugar	4 cups water	yield    5 cups
Medium syrup	3 cups sugar	4 cups water	yield    5 ½  cups
Heavy syrup	3 ¾  cups sugar	4 cups water	yield    6 ½  cups

No scientific data from FDA or USDA is available on home canning and the above information is a guide only and no authorized data.  

PMG holds no responsibility for misuse of the information provided and is void of any liability. Home canning is at your own risk.

For PMG by: Marinus Hoogendoorn 

Vacuum Seal Food and Sous Vide Cooking.

From= www.officialvacupack.com

Vacuum-Sealed Food Is Perfect For Sous Vide Style Cooking
by Stephen Daniels
Word Count: 408
Keywords: vacuum sealer, vacuum packer, home vacuum packers

Cooking vacuum-sealed foods sous vide style is not a new method, but it's increasingly catching on as an in-home alternative to using the oven. Sous vide means "under vacuum," the essence of it being that raw food is prepared precisely at the temperature it will be served. The process starts by sealing a cut of meat, seafood or even vegetables in a plastic pouch with a vacuum packer. The pouch is submerged into hot water heated to the desired temperature, letting the contents cook slowly and thoroughly.

Sous vide preparation takes much longer than traditional methods - 30 to 40 hours in some cases. While this amount of preparation is untenable in the short term, it allows one to start cooking a day or more before the meal. Among the benefits, less liquid is required to marinade foods, and none of the flavor is lost during the process. In terms of texture and flavor, the sous vide method is unsurpassed.

A medium-rare steak prepared sous vide isn't just medium rare on the inside, while remaining tougher on the outside - it is medium rare throughout. This method gives food a silky, smooth texture that is impossible with oven cooking. Even tough cuts of meat stay tender, with each bite melting in the mouth. Besides meats, all types of fish and seafood, vegetables and even eggs may be prepared sous vide.

This style of cooking requires a vacuum sealer to enclose foods in a sealed, airtight bag, as well as an even-heating pot. Sous vide has traditionally been limited to restaurants that have access to expensive equipment. However, many consumer-grade sealers and slow-cooking vessels are available to amateur gourmet chefs for far less money. 

Besides preparing food for "under vacuum" cooking, home vacuum packers can be used for other purposes. Quickly seal freshly-blanched vegetables or uneaten portions of meals; or save money by buying in bulk, and vacuum sealing the majority for long-term storage. Home vacuum-packed foods also save a tremendous amount of space when stored. After sealing, they must be frozen, but they will store far longer and not suffer from freezer burn. 

Sous vide is catching on with home gourmets, but it's been used by the world's top chefs for decades. One may even see demonstrations on TV cooking shows. While it takes many hours to prepare food in this style, the results are outstanding in terms of tenderness, texture and flavor, as well as nutrient retention.

Reproduction permitted only when all active hyperlinks are included. 2010 All rights reserved. 

Stephen Daniels is an acclaimed internet marketing strategist. If you need vacuum sealers or retort pouches for home, commercial or industrial use, he recommends Professional Marketing Group. Specializing in food packaging since 1984, they offer a variety of supplies and a full-service repairs and parts department.

Fast Food

Fast Food Making your own vacuum-packed “cup of soup” meals Just about everyone is familiar with the “cup of soup”—prepackaged foam containers with instant noodles, dehydrated vegetables, and flavoring. Just pour boiling water into the container, wait a few minutes, and you have a ready-made meal. But did you know that you can make your own instant soup with a vacuum-sealing machine? It's easier than you think, and comes with a lot of great benefits. The advantages of homemade soup packets
One of the best things about making your own cup of soup packages is that they're healthier than instant store brands. You can prepare them using fresher ingredients, and the vacuum packing process keeps more nutrients in food for longer times. Vacuum sealing also preserves flavors, so your soup will taste better. Homemade soup packets are inexpensive, especially when you buy the ingredients in bulk. They're fairly easy to prepare, and don't take a lot of time to assemble and package. In addition, vacuum-packed dehydrated food takes up less space, so you can store more.
Making your own ready-to-cook soup is a great way to prepare for emergency survival conditions. You can also bring a bunch along on camping or fishing trips, or use them as a quick, nutritious meal anytime.
How to make them To prepare your homemade soup packets, you'll need a vacuum sealing machine and a food dehydrator. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dry out vegetables either at low temperatures in your oven, or with solar power—simply place sliced or cubed vegetables between two screens and lay them outside on a sunny day. However, the USDA cautions against using these methods for drying meat, due to the risk of salmonella. You should use a dehydrator for meat, purchase pre-dehydrated meat or jerky, or use textured vegetable protein (TVP) in place of meat. also offers pre-cooked dehydrated Chicken, Beef and Sausage by the pound or in bulk. This is a long term storage meat already used in many prepackaged meals.
Place quick-cooking pasta or instant rice in a vacuum packing bag, and then add dehydrated vegetables, powdered or cubed bullion for flavoring, and dehydrated meat or TVP. Seal the bag according to the instructions for your vacuum-sealing machine—remember to leave at least an inch or two at the end of the bag to ensure a good seal.
When you're ready to prepare your soup, simply drop the bags into boiling water for a few minutes, and you'll have a hot, tasty meal, ready to eat.
A great solution for emergency food storage and more Whether you want to build up your stock for potential emergency survival situations, or just want to have quick, easy, and portable meals at the ready, making your own dehydrated, vacuum-packed soups and other convenient rations is a great way to be prepared for anything.
Article is copywrite PMG 2012. All use of this article must have all links active. Words By Melissa

Vacuum Packing Berries!

The Season is Here!

Berry season that is! Aug of 2008 we are all busy with the seasons bounty of fruit and vegetables.

A tip for freezing berries! If we plan to make jam and are just out of time for the moment. We will wash and place berries any type in a vacuum sealing bag, then evacuate the air, place in the freezer. This is a very simple quick freeze. The fruit is ready to pull out at a later date to make jam, pies, compotes or other wonderful items.

Decorative Frozen Berries! If we want the berries to be individual and stay looking like a berry not a colored mush ball! Wash berries like strawberries or blue berries that are firm fruits. Black berries or raspberries one must carefully wash as to not squish the item. After cleaning we place each berry individually on a cookie sheet without touching each other. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 3 hours until frozen hard. Then remove, place carefully in a vacuum seal bag and evacuate the air. Replace back in the freeze as soon as possible. Do not let berries defrost! When you want to have berries in smoothies, on cereal or any decorative item the berries will come out of the bag individually and pristine condition with no freezer burn or ice crystals.

Good luck with your berries and remember keep them sucked up tight! Thanks for reading PMG