What food are you preserving today?
Ready to Preserve
Search for any food you want to preserve. We'll show you exactly how long to process it, and why.
P.L.A.I.N. Pantry
Everyday Food Safety & Home Food Preservation Hub
Everyday Food Safety & Home Food Preservation Hub
Search for any food you want to preserve. We'll show you exactly how long to process it, and why.
Water boils at lower temperatures at higher altitudes. Adjusting your processing times is necessary to prevent foodborne illness.
Typical elevations for reference only — your exact location may differ. Use Auto-Detect above for precision, or the Elevation Finder for any address.
0 – 1,000 ft — No adjustment needed
1,001 – 3,000 ft — Moderate adjustment required
3,001 ft and above — Significant adjustment required
No major Washington cities sit above 3,000 ft, but rural properties, farms, and unincorporated communities near mountain passes often do. If you live in a rural area of eastern Washington or near a mountain corridor, use Auto-Detect for an accurate reading.
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Education Library
Welcome to P.L.A.I.N. Pantry, a food safety utility engineered for everyday home food preservers, families, community educators, and extension specialists alike. This app makes food preservation and storage clear and accessible by translating technical data into plain language:
Beyond searching individual food items, tap the button at the top left of your screen to browse our comprehensive foundational curriculum. It features plain-language breakdowns of structural food science, the biochemical rules of spoilage prevention, correct canning equipment mechanics, troubleshooting and FAQs, and essential safe-handling steps to protect your home kitchen.
To keep your kitchen safe and eliminate the dangerous errors or misinformation often found in unverified online recipes or generative AI tools, P.L.A.I.N. Pantry operates as a strictly closed-loop data structure. Every entry, safety threshold, and processing time inside this tool has been manually compiled and cross-verified directly against verified, peer-reviewed extension frameworks and USDA food safety guidance.
The data layers driving this application are compiled exclusively from the following peer-reviewed standards:
National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP)
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your source for current research-based recommendations for most methods of home food preservation.
So Easy to Preserve (SETP), 6th Edition, 2014
This edition contains the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture recommendations for safe food preservation, along with step by step instructions and in-depth information for both the new and experienced food preserver.
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (AIB No. 539)
From the United States Department of Agriculture. The Guide provides comprehensive instructions, safety protocols, and tested recipes to help home canners successfully and safely preserve fruits, vegetables, meats, and other foods.
If you have a question, are experiencing a unique food preservation issue, or want to get your pressure canner dial gauge tested or calibrated, contact your WSU Extension County Office:
Found a processing time that looks wrong, a food item that's missing, or a typo? Data accuracy is the most important thing about this app — let us know and we'll review it.
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