Canning with candles
I am not sure about the right terminology as I am not a native speaker, but is it possible to conserve solid food in a jar with a candle?
Boiling is used to decrease air and for the food to be well conserved it must not have much oxygen. The food is suffocating. A tea candle placed inside will suck the air too and will extinguish when there is no sufficient air inside.
Best Answer
The short answer is: No.
The more elaborate answer is that certain bacteria are anaerobic and food needs to be heat treated to ensure it can be safely stored. Especial mention: Clostridium botulinum which leaves deadly toxins.
The tealight inside the jar will not produce the heat needed for pasteurization.
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How do you make canned candles?
How to Make Candles Using Tin CansIs wax still used in canning?
Although not recommended to store canned items for a long period, the paraffin wax method still exists. Many people consider this method out dated, and safer canning methods are available. However, aside from the long-term canning risks, paraffin wax is acceptable to seal jars for short-term purposes.Can Mason jars use candles?
You can use almost any vessel that can withstand heat: teacups, jelly jars, egg cups, etc., but we'll be focusing on a creative classic: mason jars. Experiment with colors and fragrances until you achieve the sweet smell of success.Can you melt candle wax in a tin can?
A metal or oven-safe glass mixing bowl can also be used for a double boiler, but you might not want to melt scented wax in a bowl that you're going to use again for food. So, a used metal can is a perfect vessel for melting wax for candles, and it can be reused.Canning venison, dipping beeswax candles, \u0026 my BUGOUT bag
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Answer 2
I can't add a comment but would like to point out that I have seen melted paraffin used to create a sort of seal on the top of a jam/jelly preserve.
That doesn't prevent spoilage by mold or bacteria but it does keep a skin from developing or oxidation of the surface layer. Since paraffin shrinks a fair bit as it cools, this approach does have limits.
Answer 3
It comes down to how hot you can get the can get the jar with a candle.
If your food contains water, then it will only heat above 100° C if it is under pressure, which means you'll need to seal the jar. Maybe, the jar is strong enough that its internal temperature could reach 120° C. If so, then maintaining that temperature for a while would kill all the microbes, and the food would be preserved.
On the other hand, maybe the pressure inside the jar would cause it to explode before the desired temperature was reached.
On the other other hand, maybe the jar would radiate heat too quickly--and absorb heat from the candle too slowly--so that it would never reach 120° C. You might be able to work around this by building some kind of reflective insulating enclosure for the jar, but it would be difficult to properly insulate it without also cutting off the air to the candle.
So the answer is maybe but I wouldn't recommend it.
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