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loves2cook4six

Another Newbie ? regarding lids and Jars

loves2cook4six
15 years ago

Am wondering if you can only preserve home made canned products using Ball jars with the two piece lid and band or can I use these pretty Hexagon bottles with the metal caps and plastisol linings


or ones like these?

And if I can use these pretty jars, do you process them the same way?

Comments (14)

  • robinkateb
    15 years ago

    Both of those should be fine for canning. The problem is once you use the lids once they are done. The lids and rings from Ball will also not fit them.

    I really like the second jar.

    -Robin

  • greenhouser
    15 years ago

    The 2 piece lids can only be used once also. The rings can last indefinitely.

  • robinkateb
    15 years ago

    Greenhouser, that is true the lids on the Ball jars can only be used once as well, however Ball sells just the lids. I forgot to mention that I did not see anywhere on the site to order just the lids. I have seen them elsewhere but they were a lot more expensive then the Ball lids.

    -Robin

  • digdirt2
    15 years ago

    They are not approved for use by NCHFP because of the number of seal failures associated with them. Only the 2 piece lids and rings are approved.

    But I know they are more commonly used in Europe as are the rubber bail-lock jars. So all the extra expense aside, safety in using them depends on what you use them for. Jams, jellies, and pickled products would be the safest but I would avoid using them for anything else.

    But please note that this is not a recommendation for them. There is risk associated with their use so only you can decide if you are comfortable with that risk.

    Dave

    PS: and yes, you process them for the same recommended time in the recipe.

  • ksrogers
    15 years ago

    The choice of canning jars is up to you. Ball, Kerr, and Golden Harvest are all from Ball. Hex and other shapes, as well as 'LUG' type caps are usually more money. Unless your wanting unusal shapes and sizes, most people use the most popular and cheapest. Always realize too, that reusing a store bought commercially packed jar with some item in it, is not of the same quality of home caning jars. Many of these odd shaped ones can't even hold up to the home canning heat processes. Additionally if the covers/lids are reused, you risk bad seals, and possible contamination of the items inside. There are companies out there selling 'flint glass' type jars that shatter easily, so you would want to be sure that if you do get a good canning jar from other sources that they can be used in home canning. Additionally the odd shaped jars, if sold by other companies, should also offer an unlimited amount of reorders for the covers.

  • readinglady
    15 years ago

    I do use one-piece lids which I order from honey processors. They fit on regular Ball jars, though I've also seen Leifheit jars with Leifheit lids similar to the ones you show. I've never had a seal failure during processing or during shelf time with one-piece lids.

    However, as RobinKate said, I use them only for gifting jams and preserves.

    For a more "elegant" look you might consider the Leifheit jars, which are European and designed for canning. They offer a two-piece lid but jars can be re-used with Ball lids and rings. Weck jars are also excellent but use a rubber gasket, which is an entirely different principle than the seals you're asking about.

    Carol

    Here is a link that might be useful: Leifheit Canning Jars

  • whynotmi
    15 years ago

    I guess I don't get the whole "pretty" jar thing. After all, it's what's inside that counts. Or maybe I'm just lucky that my family and my friends don't have a high level of expectation in that regard. I mean, I've sent out "testers" of recipes in recycled yogurt containers and gotten thrilled responses. lol

  • smokey98042
    15 years ago

    They work fine. Just be extra careful to make sure the sealing surface and thread area is clean as you can't clean the thread area after processing. Don't reuse the lids.

    I use the "Lug" type jars often,but, I have a local source for new lids. I use them only for BWB processing.

  • zeuspaul
    15 years ago

    ReadingLady, Do you have a source for the one piece canning lids AKA caps?

    Thanks

    Zeuspaul

  • readinglady
    15 years ago

    I got mine from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. They're gold one-piece metal lids which do fit narrow-mouth mason jars. They also offer wide-mouth but they're much more expensive.

    Item Number: 731 There's no image but if you go to the jars and containers page you will see the caps on some of their mason jars.

    This company is a long ways from me, but surprisingly at the time I found their prices, even with shipping, better than other suppliers near me. However, it's been a while and I don't know if that continues to be true.

    I first ordered these lids from Kitchen Krafts, but their prices are quite high, and once I decided I liked these lids for gifting preserves, I went searching for less expensive sources. Beekeepers were by far the best. Of course there are also bottle supply companies.

    Carol

    Here is a link that might be useful: Brushy Mountain Bee Farm

  • shirleywny5
    15 years ago

    Carol
    My new daughter-in-law gifted me two dozen of the Leifeit pint jars. They are beautiful for gift giving. I wouldn't use them for my regular canned items as they they take up a lot of shelf space and they don't fit well in the canner. It's a think ahead thing like when you're making salsa, or cinnamon apple rings, put up two or three decorative jars and the remainder food into regular pints. Mine came with two piece silver lids.

  • whynotmi
    15 years ago

    Last year a friend gave me a bag of jars she'd collected. I didn't need them at the time so I've just gotten around to looking at them. Some are obviously store jars and won't be used for canning.

    There are a couple jars that I'm curious about. They are rather more square than my standard HG jars and appear to be 24 oz. If I assigned points of the compass to the sides the north and east are marked Atlas then Mason below that. The south and west sides are marked with oz measurement lines up to 20 oz just below the shoulder. Rings and lids seem to fit the opening just fine. Do these sound legit for home canning?

  • zeuspaul
    15 years ago

    They fit the description of Classico tomato sauce jars. I wouldn't hesitate to use them for home canning.

    Zeuspaul

  • readinglady
    15 years ago

    Shirley, it's a great idea to use just a couple of the decorative Leifheit jars in a batch for future gift-giving while the rest of the batch is regular canning jars.

    I haven't used the Leifheit jars, but if memory serves me right, the smallest Leifheits use a one-piece lid (which would have to be re-ordered from the company) and all larger sizes use a two-piece lid interchangeable with Ball lids.

    I do use Weck jars for really "fancy" product but not often because the gaskets and glass lids are time-consuming to fiddle with and being metric, my funnel is just a tad too big for the neck.

    The Classico jars can work well in the canner, but before using check that the threads are compatible with a standard lid. Older Classico jars work fine. Not all of the newer ones fit.

    Carol

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