oven sterilizing pf jars

[farmerbob]

Let me start by saying I have a canning pot that has served me well. The problem is I hate having to steam sterilize PF jars in batches. It would be great to be able to sterilize all the jars in one full swoop in the oven.

My oven has a minimum temperature of 170F.

1) What temperature should I use for 2 dozen jars?
2) For how long should the jars be baked?
3) How much water loss should I compensate for in my substrate?

[firerat]

A while back, Irishlion turned me onto an oven sterilization tek that has worked for me for numerous PF tek grows using BRF cakes. (your the man Lion!!)

Whether or not it works with any other type sterilizing, you would have to ask Irishlion.

1) 250F Put the jars in cold and gradually allow them to heat up.
2) once 250F is reached, approx 50 minutes
3) Approx 3cc's of water per half pint jar.

It's a good idea to make a few jars, weigh them before putting them in the oven, sterilize, and weigh them again. Take note of how much weight is lost. 1cc of water weighs approx 1 gram.

This has worked flawlessly for me so far.

[Hippie3]

pretty low success rate in oven-
you'll lost most of them,
only a few might finish,
if you're lucky.

ovens have no pressure-
that 15 psi inside the pc
gets the steam down deep into
the substrate.

ovens just heat the outer surface
and rely on the heat being conducted
into the center-
but verm is a great heat insulator
so you quite often end up with dry shells and rotten cores.

this is why no one uses their oven
and buys a pc instead.
no cheap easy short-cuts to sterility.

[firerat]

I guess I'm just lucky.

I swear Hip I've sterilized at least 50 jars with this method and haven't had a single one go bad.

I wish I could remember how exactly Irishlion explained it to me.

Maybe he will chime in later on this.

[mycophone]

Sorry to bump a dead thread, but any other opinions of this? This is a very interesting concept to me and would like at least a confirmation of it's failure or success.

[mycophone]

Originally Posted by Hippie3

pretty low success rate in oven-
you'll lost most of them,
only a few might finish,
if you're lucky.

ovens have no pressure-
that 15 psi inside the pc
gets the steam down deep into
the substrate.

ovens just heat the outer surface
and rely on the heat being conducted
into the center-
but verm is a great heat insulator
so you quite often end up with dry shells and rotten cores.

this is why no one uses their oven
and buys a pc instead.
no cheap easy short-cuts to sterility.

Sorry if I seem like I'm questioning you, but are you speaking from experience, or just conjecture? Because it seems like the oven would in fact work quite well. I mean, steam sterilization doesn't have pressure, and yet it still works. I would imagine, that since there is usually something on top of the jars, this sterilization is achieved through conduction. Why would steam sterilization be effective, yet this method not? What would cause oven sterilization to dry out a jar more than steam sterilization, they're both heat in some for.