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food canning preservation #889168

Asked November 01, 2024, 12:39 PM EDT

I recently canned some homemade pasta sauce my fiance and I made from home grown tomatoes and herbs. Prior to researching the answer, we added approx. 1/3 to 1/2 cup of ground parmesan cheese to 2 1/2 gallons of sauce for flavor. After doing this I briefly looked this up on a website to see if we should have done this. The site said not advisable. Well, it was too late, so I went ahead with the pressure canning under the recommended times and temps for pasta sauces. The jars sealed up like my other products, but I wanted to reach out to see if I should just dump these jars or if I am safe to still use them. They have been on the shelf at room temps since which has been a week.

Oakland County Michigan

Expert Response

You are correct, the USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation does not advise canning products that contain dairy. Adding diary to a recipe alters the pH of the foods making it potentially harmful because it can support the growth of bacteria. To err on the side of caution, I would recommend discarding  the tomato sauce. (I know, I know.... all that hard work and beautiful tomatoes!) 

If you want to add parmesan cheese to your next batch of sauce, you can add it when you serve it, or you can try freezing your sauce- just make sure you leave a half inch of headspace to allow for expansion. 

You can also reach out to the food safety hotline at <personal data hidden> if you have further questions! 

An Ask Extension Expert Replied November 04, 2024, 9:35 AM EST

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