kfeusse Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) I was in the process of making tomato sauce for canning...and I had the sauce all made, but not in the jars ...and we had a family emergency.. The sauce was too hot to put in the fridge and so I left it out on the stove top. The sauce was left from about 11:30 this morning to just now...3:30. If I heat the sauce up really well, can I still process it? It won't be bad, right? Edited September 3, 2016 by NEprairiemom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 1:30 AM to 3:30 PM? Tomato is high acid, so it's probably fine. I'd boil it and can it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) Tomato sauce starts fermenting if going off. So if it has little bubbles while it is sitting there then it is going off. I would think it was perfectly fine, if you are heating it up as part of the canning process than I wouldn't even bother preheating it Edited August 24, 2016 by Melissa in Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 it was 11:30 (not 1:30) ...does that make a difference? there were little bubbles on top, but they were there when I poured the sauce into the pot that I was going to cook it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 That makes more sense. Totally fine. Go for it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 So it was sitting for four hours? I wouldn't think twice. Bring it to a boil and can it. I would do that if the sauce had sat for 8 hours even. Four hours wouldn't phase me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I think you will be fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I mean bubbles breaking and new ones forming. Existing bubbles from trapped air when shifting into the pot are ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Unless there was meat in there, it should be perfectly fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 no meat....nothing but tomatoes....made into sauce. No spices...no other veggies...just tomatoes. I am so glad it should be fine...I was a bit worried...thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Boil it for a few minutes and you should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I leave food on my stove cooling for that long regularly. We aren't dead yet ;) You may consider reheating it up and simmering it for ten minutes just to be sure it is clean for canning and didn't get anything dropping on it that could reproduce, as canning is different than quick consumption, but that would be my only caution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I leave mine out for much longer than that :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 Update on this: I heated my sauce for like 30 minutes (low rolling boil) just to be sure, then sealed my jars. They all sealed just fine...but then just today I found 3 that had unsealed. Do you think this could have been caused by my situation I mentioned above? Or just a fluky thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Update on this: I heated my sauce for like 30 minutes (low rolling boil) just to be sure, then sealed my jars. They all sealed just fine...but then just today I found 3 that had unsealed. Do you think this could have been caused by my situation I mentioned above? Or just a fluky thing? Did you process them in a hot water bath? I rarely have a jar that doesn't seal. When that has happened, I find that the jar rim is nicked or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 yes, I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 I can't imagine it had anything to do with reheating the sauce. Sauce was hot when put into jars, lids were hot, and it was processed. Seems like it should seal. Maybe it was just a fluke. I do remember one time that I did have several jars - of something - that didn't seal, and I ended up blaming the lids. They were all from the same box. Everything else sealed just fine like normal; just this one batch had several that didn't. It is sure frustrating to do all that work and not have it seal. If you put it in the fridge when you realized it didn't seal, could you use it in some cooking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 the problem isn't that they didn't seal....it's that over a week later the seal came loose. So, I guess maybe I need to investigate what it is that causes a jar to seal at first, but then later unseal. Does anybody know that answer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 http://cecentralsierra.ucanr.edu/files/177585.pdf You could call your county extension office. Ours has a list of master preservers (?) who are very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Did they experience drastic changes in temperature after they were sealed, or was there lots of jarring about (ha!). I ask that because I've canned at my moms house before then left the jars there for a week or two before transporting them home. Were they overfilled? Did you throw those out that came unsealed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 no drastic temp change....didn't "jar" them around any. Not overfilled....and yes, I trashed them. One had mold, the other two smelled horrible. I have no idea how long they were sitting there unsealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 I'm sorry! It's sickening to see all your hard work be wasted. Did you remove the rings from the jars before 24 hours? I really don't know what could've happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 I never knew the 24 hour thing was a rule. I have never waited that long. Usually just until the jars were cool. Maybe it was just a fluke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 From the link someone posted sounds like too much headspace, so there was a false seal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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