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Canning Food: a kidcyber weblinks page
Canning is a method of preserving food by first sealing it in air-tight jars, cans or pouches, and then heating it to a temperature that destroys bacteria that can damage food or cause illness if eaten.
In the early 1890s, it was difficult to supply fresh food to the huge armies fighting in wars. The French government encouraged a newspaper to offer a cash prize to any inventor who could come up with a cheap and effective method of preserving large amounts of food. In 1809, a French confectioner called Nicolas François Appert observed that food cooked inside a jar did not spoil unless the seals leak. He developed a way of sealing food inside glass jars.
However, glass containers presented many challenges for transportation. In 1810 Peter Durant developed a way in which cylindrical tin canisters (later known as 'tins' or 'cans') could replace glass jars. These tins were cheaper and quicker to make and were much tougher than glass jars. Soldiers cut open the cans with knives or smashed them on rocks. The canning process was gradually put into practice in other European countries and in the United States.
It was 30 years before can openers were invented. In 1858 Ezra J. Warner patented the first can opener, which he modelled on a combination of a spear and sickle. This can opener was used by soldiers during the American Civil War.
In 1870 William W. Lyman invented a can opener that was easier and safer to use, and it came into common use in people's homes. This required a stab into the lid, then using a lever action to move the blade around the edge of the lid.
In the 1930s the first can opener with gears was invented.
Find out more information about canned food and its development:
http://www.geocities.com/cannedfood101/
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artcanninghistory.html
http://www.mirabilis.ca/archives/000942.html
http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa021698.htm
Can openers:
http://www.albawaba.com/en/kids,who__when/199343 (look in the 'Food' square)
http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/tin_can.htm (scroll down to find it)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A256871
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-08/967749543.Eg.r.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070402144444AAvQblr
If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, R. & Sydenham, S. Canning Food [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au [2007]
Updated November 2008 ©kidcyber