I don't like keeping jars in boiling water until they're ready to be filled. I've come close to burning myself tipping the water out of the jar. So, I was thrilled to read about a different prep in Kevin West's "Saving the Season" cookbook that came out this year.

He says to wash the jars in hot soapy water but that it isn't necessary to sterilize them since "the boiling water bath will pasturize the sealed jars along with their contents." Instead of placing the jars in boiling water, he recommends keeping the washed jars in a 200 degree F oven until you're ready to use them.

I love this idea because I don't have to have another pot of boiling water on the stove. However, I haven't seen it recommended in any other cookbook. Is there a consensus on whether this is safe?

If you've just run the dishwasher you can keep them warm in that until you're ready to fill.

Yes Lisa the guideline for some years has been that if the food will be processed for 10 min or longer then sterilizing them isn't required. The processing will do that. That applies to both BWB processing and pressure canning.

They merely need to be hot when filled and there are a number of ways to accomplish that. Assuming your hot water heater is set at a normal setting then just filling them with hot tap water in the sink is often sufficient.

As already mentioned the jar manufacturers don't recommend putting empty jars in a dry oven and even if filled with water they sure don't need to be kept at 200 assuming your oven has lower settings.

In addition to the dishwasher or a sink full of hot water, a simple tea kettle full of really hot water can be used to fill the jars while they are sitting on the counter. It needn't be anything complicated so make it easy on yourself.

Dave