“Every chicken is different; every oven is different. You have to
learn how to be present.”Nosrat’s Kitchen Know-How
CANNING HAS its rules (see Linton Hopkins), but here’s an
easy method: Clean the jars with very hot water and preheat the
oven to 250°F. Heat the jars in the oven, put the lids in boiling
water for a minute or two, and when you finish the jam, ladle it
into the hot jars, seal with the hot lids (tighten all the way and
then loosen a quarter turn), and let them sit. You should hear
the “pop” that means there’s a vacuum seal. If you don’t hear
it, put the jars into the 250°F oven until they pop.
SINCE THE BACK corners of an oven get the hottest, and since
the legs of the chicken take the longest to cook, push the
roasting pan toward one back corner with the legs pointing
toward it for the first half of cooking; then move the pan so the
legs point to the other back corner for the second half of
cooking. (Nosrat got this tip from watching Jacques Pépin!)
THOUGH THEY’RE EXPENSIVE, copper pots are worthwhile
because they conduct and distribute heat really well and evenly.
For jam-making they’re ideal, and if the pan is shallow, it allows
steam to escape and cooks the fruit more quickly.