jacqui{JB} wrote:

>
> I have to say that boiling unopened cans is way past my personal risk
> threshold. No criticism of those who do it; just a different point of
> view.

This was a hot topic of discussion amongst a group of avid cooks that
included several engineers. The consensus was that as long as it was
allowed to cook completely before opening the pressure cooker method was
completely safe and that if care is taken the water bath method is safe.

The water bath method was deemed safe as long as the cans were kept
completely covered with water and the cooking held to a simmer. The
condensed milk inside the cans has a higher boiling point than the water
around them and as such will never reach boiling point. As such the worst
that could happen is that a rare can might burst but would never explode.
I have done this several times and not seen a hint of a problem. If you
forget about it and the water boils away that is a whole 'nother story.