Do you leave the rings on or off your canning jars?

[freemotion]

Ok I need someone to clear up the nonhydrogenated thing for me. From what I have read its just basically poison for us. So what is the definition of hydrogenated vs not? Whats the difference? Someone mentioned Spanish foods often have the non-hydrogenated kind. I have tons of ethnic stores around here. And what about the coconut oils. My auntie really was recommending those.

Ok I just checked the Living foods coconut oil is NON hydrogenated. Maybe that's why she recommended it.

sorry this is so off topic.

Here is the common confusion, and the way I was mis-taught:

I was taught that anything that is solid at room temp is bad and anything liquid at room temp is good. This is incorrect.

Hydrogenated (trans fats) are fats that have been processed to make them harder. It was a method invented so that soap could be made with lower quality oils and get nice and hard. Someone discovered that it would make a Twinkie last for a hundred years and still stay soft (note the sarcasm....) And it is CHEAP to manufacture, because they can use basically garbage and make it pretty and white and essentially flavorless, as Americans have come to expect. So the campain against lard and beef fat began.

Remember the hype about McD's switching from beef fat to veg shortening for their fryers? It did us no favors.

Now with the campain against trans and hydrogenated fats, McD's and others are switching to cheap veg oils. Hexane and other solvents are used to get every molecule of oil out of the soy, canola, etc. And then it is all cleaned and bleached to be colorless and odorless. Not healthy, in spite of the word "vegetable" in its name.

Coconut oil is very healthy. Solid or liquid at room...or body....temp has nothing to do with it.

The very best fats are from well-raised animals and home-rendered when possible, no bleaching or chemicals needed because we are careful of how we handle our own food. For vegetable oil, expeller-pressed or cold-pressed on the label means no solvents, which will be stated proudly.

For lots of details on this and the science part, Mary Enid and Sally Fallon wrote "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" which is a very interesting book. They go a bit overboard with the coconut oil, IMHO, but it is eye-opening. I am a big fan of variety in ones' diet and also everyone is genetically different, how our ancestors adapted to what was available will influence what is the best for us. Difficult to determine, but it just means experiment and know that what makes me healthy may not make you healthy in every detail.

However, hydrogenated and trans fats are very bad for everyone. You might as well use motor oil in your salad dressing! But more insidious, presented as healthy foods. It is criminal how we have been betrayed.

 

[prairiegirl]

The rings come off here, too. I always let the jars set still for 24 hours after processing before removing lids, cleaning jars and storing.

I purchased the white lids for regular and wide mouth jars a few years ago. They are great for storing in the frig.

 

[freemotion]

Free, I wish I had a butcher here that i could get it from, but alas the butcher closed up & left after getting in trouble with the FDA(tore down all their buildings too).


Tanks hydrogenated oils, lard & shortening are very bad for us. So if possible choose the least hydrogenated ones if non are not available. Canola is the least of them. Coconut is a good one for you, but it can make your food taste like coconut if you use too much. I use it for my stove top popcorn popper.

Keep looking....some places don't butcher but do some trimming, even some grocery stores. I found a butcher who processes people's home-raised animals so I figure I have a better chance of getting better quality fat for now. It is in a high-end area, so chances are high that people are raising their own for the same reasons I want to. He also does a lot of deer.

No one wants the fat anymore, he throws it out, after saving some to add to some of the ground venison.

 

[Homesteadmom]

I'll have dh ask around about the town where he goes to work & see if there is one over there to get some from. I would love to process it myself & have it to use for my baking(pie crust is great with it).

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds like 3-ish for off and one for on-ish....

The catfood is sealed, I pressure canned it, Oliver just licks the molecules that may be on the outsides of the jars....he strongly disagrees about how much food he is given!

And Bee, Miracle Whip?!?!? And I was just getting really convinced that you are my evil twin, separated at birth!!

Or should I choose this one?

Oh, free, you forget that I have kids!! The boys won't eat mayonnaise....and I don't like it much either! Me? I usually eat my mom's hot pepper spread and nuttin' else!!! The younger boy drowns everything in catsup, which I never eat! I buy a gal. of it each trip to the grocery store and I never taste it....ironic, isn't it?

 

[freemotion]

Oh yay, you are my evil twin!!!! I was getting psyched up for the dna test, but it is no longer needed, the proof is in the.....well, everything!

 

[Beekissed]

You are soooooo funny! Yep, the similarities startle me at times.....nice to know I have an evil twin out there....what does it mean when we are both evil!

 

[TanksHill]

It means the rest of need to stay way back from you both!!

Thank you for the explanation freemotion. That is very helpful!

 

[Beekissed]

Good advice!

 

[TanksHill]

Bee are you a night owl?? Isn't it kinda late where you live?