The really worrisome part here is that no one has stated the importance of canning low acid foods in a pressure canner.

Miele puts a disclaimer about the USDA recommendations on the top of their instructions and yet gives instructions that don't follow them.

If you follow USDA guidelines, you would not be canning in a steam oven to begin with but in no case would you be canning low acid foods with it.

From Miele's instruction book page 62

I can't even think of any vegetables that would follow USDA guidelines canned this way. Tomatoes require the addition of acid now. Even if you could guarantee the contents of the jar reached 212F throughout, this is not hot enough to kill some pathogens that form heat resistant spores. A pressure canner allows the temperature to get to 240F.

"vthomas99

I have been using a Miele Steam Oven for Canning since 2010 with MUCH SUCCESS!!!"

Anecdotal evidence in no assurance of safety. It is the by guess and by golly "Nobody we know has gotten sick doing it this way" vs the use of scientific methodology to prove what food preservation methods eradicate pathogens.

"I know that the FDA is not up to date on steam canning!!"

The FDA does not deal with home preservation of food. If you go to their website they have quite a bit on commercial steam canning though. The USDA is the branch of the Department of Agriculture that provides research based advice on home preservation of food. Have you read any of their current articles about this subject? They consider this to be one of their "burning issues".

Steam Canners

They are in the forefront but approach the issue with extreme caution. Foodborne illness can be a lot more than an upset stomach and a case of the scoots, especially for the young, the elderly and the immunosuppressed. I have personally seen people die from foodborne illness but some have lived and lost their kidney function or a limb(s) because their circulation shut down during the course of their illness.

"However, it is just as good a method through the Miele as through a conventional canner!!"

Even if they say a steam canner is ok for acidic foods, that does not necessarily mean a steam oven would be OK.

"MY goodness! Steam is steam!"

I would have thought that there would be similarities between a steam canner and steam oven but there are many factors to be considered and they would need to be tested separately.

From the above article---

"Sufficient studies and peer review have been completed that we are now able to say that as long as certain critical controls at various steps in the canning process are achieved, USDA and NCHFP process times for canning acid or properly acidified foods (pH of 4.6 or below) at home with properly research based recipes and procedures can be used. The research looked at temperature distribution in the steam environment surrounding the jars in a dome-style steam canner, heating patterns of several different food types during processing in the canner, and the contribution of standardized cooling procedures at the end of the process time. Some of the key controls in addition to the acidity of the food product are knowing that the canner has had the air vented out of the steam before processing begins, and that the pure steam is at the temperature of boiling water at the start and during processing. Jars must be preheated before filling with food and cooling prior to processing must be minimized. Processing times must be adjusted for altitude, and must also be 45 minutes or less, including any altitude modification. The processing time is limited by the amount of water the canner base will hold, and the canner cannot be opened to add water or for any reason at any time during the process. Finally, cooling of jars must take place in still, ambient air without any forced, more rapid cooling. The slow cooling of processed jars is important to the overall food safety of the whole canning procedure. "

"But Miele is SO MUCH MORE CONVENIENT and less of a hassle to use than a canner which I used before many times! I won't can any other way NOW!!! ENJOY! VICTORIA - HOUSTON TX"

It is your choice, but being critically ill can be pretty inconvenient and a really big hassle too. It is also one thing to eat foods yourself that have not been preserved in proven safe ways but hopefully you are letting others know this if you give them food you have processed. They have the right to know so they can make the decision themselves as to whether they want to eat it.

There is a bit to know about canning and there is lots of legitimate info out there. The USDA website is one and Ball Canning is another. This is not something to go by what you think might be OK or by what other people do that seems to work. Take advantage of what science has shown us.