At what temperature and how should jars with preserves be sterilized in an air fryer?

The 21st century has seen the emergence of many gadgets that make life easier for home cooks. One such gadget is the air fryer. This device uses convection to heat food. It also has the ability to sterilize jars.

The process is easy and convenient, and allows you to simplify the most unpleasant part of canning – working with hot jars.

Advantages of this method

The advantages of using an air grill, as opposed to the standard method of disinfection, are as follows:

1. Saving on the containers in which you need to boil the jars.
2. Saving time for processing.
3. No need to participate in the disinfection process. Just turn on the settings and go about your business.
4. Does not create heat in the kitchen, facilitating canning conditions.
5. The ability to set the temperature at which you consider it necessary to carry out disinfection.
6. Sterilization safety – there is no risk of spilling boiling water on yourself or dropping a hot jar on the floor.

Rules for sterilizing empty jars before canning

We select the desired bottles and inspect them for cracks and chips. Those that pass the inspection are washed and rinsed thoroughly. We install the lowest rack in the machine and place as many jars as will fit there.

Important! Don't pack the containers too tightly. Leave a small gap between the jars.

Set the temperature to 120-180 degrees Celsius. For models with adjustable fan speed, set it to medium. Jars larger than 1 liter should be processed for 15 minutes; smaller jars can be processed for 7-8 minutes. Carefully remove the jars once the process is complete—they will be very hot.

Technology for sterilizing jars with food preparations in an air fryer

The jars that will be used to store the preserves should be thoroughly washed, rinsed, and dried beforehand. The next step depends on the ingredients. However, the most common process is to place fruits, vegetables, or mushrooms in the jars and pour brine over them. Then, cover the jars with metal lids and place them in the air fryer.

Important! If you want to set the temperature above 150 degrees, you must remove the rubber seals from the lids.

The higher the temperature, the less time it takes to sterilize the jars. Processing time for filled jars in an air fryer is reduced by 30% compared to the same process on the stovetop.

Important points when handling containers

When processing 3-liter or larger bottles, you'll need a height extender to accommodate them. Larger jars require more time to process.

At high temperatures, pour a couple of centimeters of water into the bottom of the appliance. This will allow the glass to be steamed.

After the program is complete, remove the bottles from the device very carefully. The temperature inside is very high, and the glass will be hot. Also, be careful when opening the lid; a blast of hot air could escape and burn your hand.