Definitions

Technical terms about preserving explained in a simple way

So that everyone can find their way around the subject of preserving, Einkochwelt® explains a few terms here:

WECK® preserving jars

The most important utensils are the WECK® preserving jars (officially round rimmed jars). WECK® round rim jars are available with mouth diameters of 40, 60, 80, 100 or 120 mm. WECK® meets the wide range of preserving possibilities with a large selection of different jar shapes: Mold (conical), tulip, deco (both bulbous), cylindrical, convex, trapezoidal, gourmet, gugelhupf and the juice jars. Depending on the shape, WECK® round rim jars are available in sizes from 35 to 2700 ml. WECK® jars can be easily recognised by the strawberry logo on the jar.

WECK® preserving rings, preserving clips, WECK® jar lids

Other accessories are the preserving rings for airtight sealing of the jars. They work like a kind of sealing ring. When preserving, the rings are placed between the rim of the jar and the jar lid. Before boiling down, the rings should be rinsed briefly with hot vinegar water. Porous boiling rings are best replaced as they do not seal the jars tightly.
The jar lids are available with the same mouth diameters of 40, 60, 80, 100 or 120 mm as the jars and are placed on the jar after the rubber seal before being fixed in place with the two clamps. 

Screw-top jars / twist-off jars

Alternatively, you can cook in so-called screw-top jars (also known as twist-off jars). The variety of these jars ranges from very small jars of 45 ml (1.6 fl.oz) to large jars with a volume of 1110 ml (39.1 fl.oz) in a wide variety of shapes. In addition to the jar, a suitable screw lid is required. Depending on the lid, screw-on or twist-off lids (past) are also suitable for products containing oil, but should not be used at temperatures above 100°C. The compound is the sealing material in the lid of a screw-top jar. It seals the jar optimally at a temperature of 91°C. However, the lid should first be carefully cleaned with hot vinegar water and preheated in warm or hot water. Screw-on lids with compound should only be used once, as the sealing properties of the compound can deteriorate with repeated use.

Wire jars

Preserving in wire jars is also very simple. You will need the wire jar and the appropriate rubber ring. More information can be found under Preserving in Fido jars or Quattro Stagioni jars.

Explanation on the subject of 'MEAL PREP'

Tips and tricks for successful meal prep

Meal prep means nothing more than preparing several meals once a week.
This is advantageous if there is hardly any time left in the week for shopping and preparing food for the next day. It also saves money if seasonal food is used (see canning season calendar). Food waste can be avoided by planning ahead, nutritional goals can be met more easily and intolerances can be avoided because you decide on the ingredients yourself. 
All in all, this is a good way to eat consciously.

From breakfast to lunch to dinner, everything can be prepared once and stored in suitable jars in the fridge. Below we present the concept with tips and tricks for success.

The starting point is to draw up a meal plan for the week as a basis for the weekend's shopping list. (Here you should consider what storage and reheating options are available at work/on the go). The dishes are then pre-cooked in sufficient quantities so that they will last for lunch and dinner for several days.

What is prepared is completely individual: rice, bulgur, couscous or quinoa are suitable as a base, followed by vegetables and pulses such as lentils and chickpeas. Pasta is best prepared as a salad. Stews are also great for meal prep.

What are overnight oats? 
Overnight oats are oat flakes (oats) that are prepared in the evening and left to swell overnight in the fridge. Overnight oats are particularly suitable for breakfast for a good start to the day. The Quattro Stagioni jars are ideal for this. 
The basic recipe for 1 portion consists of 50 g rolled oats, 150 ml (5.3 fl.oz) milk (or milk alternatives) and 1 teaspoon of chia seeds. This base is supplemented with seasonal fruit, favourite seeds (sunflower, pumpkin seeds...), dried fruit and spices (cinnamon...).

Smoothies are a practical solution for meeting your daily fruit and vegetable requirements as part of a healthy diet. 
They are quick and easy to prepare, can be stored in the fridge and taste wonderfully refreshing! The rule of thumb for preparing a smoothie is 2-3 parts fruit, 1 part liquid and extras (depending on flavour).

Meal Prep - Additions:

Dressings or dips are like the icing on the cake: they add the finishing touch to any meal and should not be missing from Meal Prep. Einkochwelt offers juice jars from WECK® for this purpose. Suggestions for delicious additions to bowls or main courses:

  • Yoghurt sauce with fresh herbs, salt, pepper and a little paprika or chilli powder
  • French dressing made from 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 pressed garlic clove, 4 tbsp oil, salt and pepper
  • Tomato sauce made from 425g chopped tomatoes, 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 
    2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp oregano, salt and pepper
  • Hummus: 250g chickpeas, 1 bunch parsley, 2 garlic cloves, parsley, 2 cloves of garlic, juice of 2 lemons, 150g tahini, 
    5 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp paprika powder, 1 tsp cumin, salt, pepper
  • Pesto: 25g pine nuts, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 pot of fresh basil, 4 tbsp grated parmesan, 
    150 ml olive oil, salt, pepper

Meal Prep - tips:

  • Meal-prepping dishes are best stored in the centre compartment of the fridge for around three to four days.
  • To prevent microorganisms from multiplying so quickly, the food should be cooled quickly after cooking - for example by transferring it to smaller containers.
  • A meal prep session, i.e. the one-off pre-cooking, takes around 3 hours. Time that can be saved during the week, plus the kitchen only needs to be tidied up once.
  • For a quick option, simply cook double the amount in one day and cover two days' worth of meals.