Last Friday I bought a new canning book that Ball has put out. The
copyright date is 2006. Some features in here are new to me, however
they may have existed in previous editions. I can't tell from here.
Most significantly, the recipes' ingredients are given in three-column
tables with "English" measures in the left column and metric measures
in the right column. The center column identifies the ingredients.
The metric quantities are sane. A cup is called 250 mL, a tablespoon 15
mL, 1 teaspoon is 5 mL, 1/2 teaspoon is 2 mL, and so forth. Following
American cooking customs, nearly every quantity is volumetric instead
of being given by mass. Some are by mass though, for example 12 lb of
figs are deemed 5.5 kg and 8 lbs [yep, they put an "s" on "lb"] of
guava are deemed 3.6 kg. Apparently, when large masses are used, the
nearest hectogram (0.1 kg) is specified.
It doesn't stop there. In speaking of the amount of water above and
below the jars in the canners (the pots of water in which the jars of
food are "boiled" or processed), an inch is 2.5 cm, 1/2 inch is 1 cm,
1/4 inch is 0.5 cm, and so forth.
Temperatures are given in Fahrenheit with parenthetical metric values to
the nearest whole degree Celsius. Elevations are given in feet with
parenthetical metric values to the nearest meter. Nobody cares about
elevation values to the nearest foot anyway when canning so this is
more than adequate!
Their chart for pressure canning give pressures in lb [sic] and in
metric to the nearest whole kilopascal. Note that in both cases those
are pressures above atmospheric pressure and the chart gives values to
use for various altitudes to ensure processing at temperatures at or
above 116 °C. (Pressure canning is used for non-acid foods, pH>4.6,
including meats.) There's even a small gazetteer in the back that gives
some sample elevations for the U.S. and for Canada --- in feet
(meters).
They even provide a space between number and unit (for metric and
non-metric alike) except for temperatures, where the raised circle on
either scale snugs right up to the number.
There just are no awkward conversions except where someone else has
provided them. An example of that is when the recipe calls for a
"package of pectin (1.75 oz/49 to 57 g)". A sidebar states
Powdered fruit pectin is sometimes sold in 49 g packages
and sometimes in 57 g packages. The weight difference does
not affect the performance of the product.
Likewise, a commercial can of tomatoes (in a salsa recipe) is identified
as "28 oz/796 mL, since that's the way it would appear on the can's
label in the store.
Title: Complete Book of Home Preserving
Edited by: Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine
ISBNs: several, depending on binding
Copyright: 2006 Jarden Corp.
Contents: 400 recipes, 448 pages, paper- or hardbound
Jim
--
James R. Frysinger
Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
Senior Member, IEEE
http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj
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