I wondered about this too. I canned apple butter and apple sauce, and could not get the tiny bubbles out no matter how hard I tried. I would only create more bubbles - there are TONS in there!

Many times when you find lots of small air pockets like that and can't seem to remove them it means your food/sauce/etc. is a bit too thick.

That is a common problem with things like applesauce and butters as they can easily get cooked too long and end up too thick. It needs to be thin enough to 'burp' - to remove the air pockets easily. So next time you might want to consider putting it back into the pot and thinning it down just a little for better results.

Dave

Okay, good. Phew!! Glad I won't be poisoning anyone... I swear I'm not a ditz.

This is a good lesson to learn, one we've all had to figure out. Fatigue is a huge factor in canning safety. No matter how pressured we are, we have to allow ourselves to stand back sometimes and just take a break. Otherwise we do dumb things.

Carol

I made some dill and garlic pickles this morning, and also forgot to let the air bubbles out. Do I need to throw the batch out? The lids popped, so I know they are sealed.

I made some dill and garlic pickles this morning, and also forgot to let the air bubbles out. Do I need to throw the batch out?

Just as indicated above, since this is an acidified food, yes they will be safe. That is assuming you used an approved and tested recipe? If you didn't then there is no way to assure their safety.

Dave

Oh no! so i have a low-acid food. im canning shreadded chicken, got it in the canner right now and just realized i forgot to release the air bubbles… will it still be good if they seal properly?

I need to know the same. did you get a reply??

Properly canned foods, including the low acid chicken mentioned, should still be safe to eat, as long as the lids properly seal. Releasing the bubbles does affect the head space sometimes, which could compromise the seal but doesn't otherwise affect the safety of the product.

I'm assuming the chicken was processed in a pressure canner, of course.

Annie