Is it possible to can hummus?
The question was prompted by running out of suitable sized plastic boxes for some home-made hummus, so I used a couple of old jam jars. This was for freezing, but it got me thinking.
I assume a simple recipe of cooked chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon and spices, such as this one from Felicity Cloake at the Guardian (which happens to be the recipe I roughly follow).
Hummus is normally sold refrigerated, but is there any (safety) reason why it couldn't be canned? Obviously any form of canning means that the final product gets cooked, but the chickpeas are already cooked and the other ingredients shouldn't suffer too much (the garlic will mellow, for example). Ideally I'd think of water-bath canning, but I'm not sure if the pH is low enough. Pressure canning would also be interesting but only in an academic sense as I'm not equipped for it.
Best Answer
No, it is not safe to can hummus, even with a pressure canner. The problem is that it has a paste consistency, and the temperature has trouble penetrating through the middle of the jar. No safe home canning process has been established which can consistently reach the required temperatures.
You can buy canned hummus, but that's no contradiction. Home pressure canners operate at nominal 10 PSI, while industry has access to different equipment.
Some people go around the problem by canning everything that goes into the hummus whole - so a jar of chickpeas, seaseme seeds (not the ready tahini!), spices and lemon juice in liquid. They stick a blender into the can after they open it, to make their hummus. That's a safe practice, since you can can chickpeas on their own.
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Quick Answer about "Is it possible to can hummus?"
No, it is not safe to can hummus, even with a pressure canner. The problem is that it has a paste consistency, and the temperature has trouble penetrating through the middle of the jar. No safe home canning process has been established which can consistently reach the required temperatures.How do you pressure can chickpeas?
Process quart jars of chickpeas at 10 pounds of pressure 90 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. Follow the directions for your pressure canner and adjust processing time for your altitude. When the processing time is done, turn off heat; cool canner to zero pressure. After 5 minutes, remove the lid.Can you water bath chickpeas?
Instructions. Either (a) long-soak the dried chickpeas overnight covered with water, OR (b) quick-soak by covering them with water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, boil 2 minutes and let stand for an hour. However the beans were soaked, drain and discard the soaking water.How do you fix canned hummus?
10 Ways to Make Store-Bought Hummus 10x BetterIs hummus better with canned or dried chickpeas?
Using canned chickpeas instead of dried. Yes, in a pinch you can successfully make hummus with canned beans, but it just honestly won't be as good. Using freshly cooked chickpeas ensures your hummus will have the best flavor \u2014 they'll taste clean and nutty rather than potentially a bit metallic from the can.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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