Open kettle referred to cooking the ingredients in an open kettle (hence
the name) and then poured into jars hot and placing seals on the jars
immediately with the cooling causing the lids to seal. This was used for
things that were perceived as needing no further processing, such as
pickles, jams, etc. The sealant could be lids and rings
(pickles/jams/jelleies/etc.) or wax as in the case of jellies/jams.

Open kettle, as I understood and listed in the previous paragraph, is
described in the Ball Blue Book the same way. It is also listed as to be
avoided and potentially dangerous.

I've never heard of hot water bath canning referred to as open kettle when
the finished jars are processed in the hot water bath.

While it makes no difference to an individual who is processing the food
correctly, it can make a huge difference to others who understand
different definitions for the terms. If someone had told me that
something could be canned by the open kettle method, I would have done it
as I had been taught as a child (and the old canning books described) and
as it is currently defined. The life-saver would be checking a current
reliable source for specific directions, which, of course, should always
be done.

So, in your family, what was it called when the ingredients are cooked and
placed in the jars immediately with no further processing?

Glenna

Open Kettle, which is what I thought I said. Tomatoes, peaches, plums, pears,
apples and any other acidic fruit was canned in this manner. Water bath was
used for snap beans and like vegetables. These were placed in racks in 12 qt
canners and boiled for several hours, Succotash, a mix of tomatoes, beans and
corn was also done open kettle. By todays standards, hazardous, but never had a
kinsman or neighbor sick from food poisoning. My mother typically canned 300-
400 qts of tomatoes, 100 qts of peaches, about the same amount of apples, 150
half gallons of snap beans and 150 + qts of pears + other odds and ends,