Well I do a couple of different things. You can use the dishwasher but still have the timing problems. Easiest for me is 2 big pots on the stove - 1 full of jars and lids and 1 for the product to be canned. Canner sits heating on a third burner. But then I have a bigger than normal stove.

Some have posted they use a separate hotplate for 1 pot, some use their grill, some use a camping stove or other type of propane cooker. I suppose you could also bring the jar/lid pot to a boil then remove it to the counter and they will stay hot for some time. Put the canner to heat on its burner.

Whatever works to get you a somooth assembly line going. ;)

Dave

I put my jars in the BWB so as it comes to a boil they are nice and hot. Sometimes they end up sitting in the BWB for a long time, but I don't know of any reason this would be a problem. I have a small pan with my lids, toward the back of the stove since I won't need it till I'm filling jars. I have a third burner with whatever I'm heating to can. Once everything is ready, I turn off the flame under the "stuff" and under the lids.

I am not the best dancer in the world however.

Ann

I keep the jars and lids in a stockpot with a beer thermometer to keep the temp just right, canner on a burner and food on a low burner or just nearby on the counter. I make enough food when canning, it will not cool down before I fill the jars.
I have a normal size stove and never have an issue.

My jars are not kept hot, but the lids are in hot water until they are placed on the jars. The ONLY thing thats really hot is the boiling liquid thats poured into the jars. Once you fill a single jar, your supposed to wipe its rim, then cap, then place a ring on it snugly. Then they can go into the canner one at a time or all at once.

I pretty much do what Ann does.

My clean jars are full of water in the canner. Water up about half way around them. Heating on med. to med. hot.
Product is on the other big burner (I only have 2 large) at the required temp.

Small little pan with just enough lids and rings for a canner batch keeping warm.

When I start filling jars, I pull the product off the burner and place to my right on the counter. I've got about 24" of counter space between my sink and stove.

I'll take a couple of jars at a time out of the canner, carefully dumping the water right back in the canner.

Fill, place lid and rings on them and put back in canner.
Take out 2-3 more and repeat.

Add or remove water as needed to cover jars with 1-2". If I need to add, I use the water that the lids were sitting in, it's already hot.

Then I put the lid on the canner and crank up the heat to boiling. Set the timer, turn down the heat so it's not bubbling out all over and prep the next round of lids/rings.
Product can go back on the burner at simmer if it's cooling off.

I'm surprised there's not a "rut" in my linoleum right there...... as I "dance" back and forth.

Deanna

I have 2 pots - one with whatever I'm canning, and the BWB with jars/lids/rings in it. Once the jars are hot, I fill them, put them back in the BWB, and boil for the requisite amount of time. It's how my mom always did it, and we haven't had any problems yet :)

I'm hoping this year to switch to a pressure canner, though, in which case I may keep the jars hot in the oven, and have only a saucepan for the lids and rings on the stovetop.

I start the canner with hot water and jars on a med heat while I cook whatever is being canned. I have the lids sitting in a plastic bowl nearby until just before I start to fill jars. When it is time to fill jars, I dump the hot water out of the first jar and onto the lids in the plastic bowl. I pul 3-6 hot jars out of the canner at a time and my sister fills them as I wipe, close and put back in the canner. We do this assembly line style until we run out of product. If the water in the plastic bowl starts to cool, I just pour off the cool water and dip out more hot from the canner.

We have been canning together for 2 years so we are a well oiled machine. Now add my mother in law to the mix and it messes everything up!

bluejean in ohio

I keep my jars hot in a 200 degree oven. Food is either simmering hard or boiling per raw or hot pack instructions. I pour boiling water on rings/seals unless I'm using the pressure canner. I don't worry about rings/seals being hot if I'm using the pressure canner.

I always wipe the jar rim before applying the seal and rings.

Wow thanks for all the answers. Everyone seems to have it down. I will try some of each and see what works. It seemed overwhelming to me at first so thank you everyone.
Michelle

One more option... I heat my jars in the canner like many others. However I do not heat the lids. The sealing compound gets soft enough from the BWB. Actually I only think it would be necessary to heat the lids if you weren't processing them.

-Robin

I have the dishwasher loaded and ready to go and try to start it at the right time so it's on the dry cycle while I'm filling jars. The dry cycle keeps it hot while I open the door & pull them out two at a time. If necessary I can always give a jar a quick rinse under hot water to reheat. If I'm not ready to fill jars as the rinse cycle's ending, I open the door and then close it again when I'm ready for it to finish. Actually since my landlord bought a new dishwasher I try to avoid this, because the new one beeps every 30 seconds to remind me to close it (only happens during the cycle). Very annoying. And the microwave beeps every 30 seconds to remind me to open it after the cooking time is up! These damn appliances, some want to be closed, some opened, I can't keep up!

As for pots, I make the salsa or whatever on the big burner and start heating the canner on a small one. When the food is ready I switch those two and start getting the canner up to temperature (not boiling till it's full, but it takes a long time on a little stove). Lids go in a small pot on the back burner, and I like to put them on right at the beginning, otherwise I forget. I put a sticker that says "lids" between number 2 and 3 on the dial for that burner to remind me how much heat it needs to stay just at a simmer.

I agree that you need to find what works for you. Don't worry too much, as long as the jars are reasonably warm and not really old, thermal shock is unlikely.

Melissa

The jars I use for hot things are filled with hot tap water and left in the sink until ready to fill. For raw packed items, I remove jars from the dish washer and fill. Lids are washed and rinsed under hot tap water. HWB is waiting at 185 degrees.

I wash and rinse my jars and then place them into a 200F oven just as 'afeisty1' from St. Louis does. Using an oven at 200F gives me sterilized jars in 10 minutes and keeps the jars dry and hot as long as I need them to be. I just leave them in the oven, at the 200F until I am done canning for the day. I quite often make a few batches of salsa in the morning and so, will load up the oven with jars at the beginning. I can also place as many or as few jars in the oven as I wish to.

Around here, I need to conserve water, so have never used the dishwasher to 'sterilize' or heat the jars. Using the oven gives me a consistant temperature for the jar (I was just reading above about all the complaints about the dishwasher cooling off the jars before you are ready to pack them). My dishwasher also may have little particles left in it from the last wash cycle that I would prefer to not get onto or left in my jars. Using the oven is 100% guaranteed to work all the time.

I place my lids into a small pot (back right element) and bring to a boil, then turn it to minimum or off depending upon how soon the salsa or jam or whatever is going to be ready to pack. I do so just to get the rubber soft on the lids, since the BWB will sterilize them as it processes my salsa. If I have forgotten about the lids, I occasionally also have just washed them and used them that way immediately because I know the BWB will soften and sterilize the lids as the product processes in the waterbath.

The canner/large pot with water is on one large element (back left) slowly coming to a boil, while the salsa or whatever I am canning is being heated in another pot on the other large element (front right).

I have a large old fashioned enamel serving plate that I use to pack on. I place that on my stove, over the front left area and pack all the jars on it, so as not to get the stovetop messy with spills as I pack the jars. I take a jar out of the oven, place it on the enamel plate, fill the jar, wipe the jar rim and place the lid and ring on the jar, tighten gently, place the jar into the boiling water in the canner for the time allotted for the type of canning I am doing.

The level of the boiling water in the BWB is 1" below the lid of the jar. As the water boils, steam is produced. The steam coming out of the water is hotter than the boiling water (simple science)and this steam is what will sterilize the lid and the top of the jar that is not in the water. Keeping the water 1" below also keeps extra water from coming into the jar as it is being processed since the lid does not seal down tight until after removal from the hot water bath.

Brenda

I too like the oven idea. It will save me space. Then I will set up my "production line" on the counter next to the stove. And put a small sauce pan full of water on the stove for my lids.

I thought in BWB that the whole jar had to be covered with water? You leave 1" not in water and the steam will be fine instead?
Michelle

Michelle, my mistake...boiling water and the steam coming from it are the same temperature (my engineer DH corrected me). Both will sterilize your jar. I just prefer no chance of extra water inside my jar of food that I am trying to seal. As you boil the water the boiling water will boil up and bubble around the jar and so, the 1" below level of water. All your food is also at the same level inside the jar (1" below the top of the jar).

Brenda

For me, canning needs to be as quick and orderly as possible, otherwise I'm likely not to do it the next year. Having a hubby, mil (97 yrs old now), 20 parrots, 3 dogs and a half acre to take care of, 'EASY' is a necessity too.

For me one of the most useful canning helper is an inexpensive _electric_ 18 qt. enamel roaster. It sets on the counter adjacent to the stove and is probably filled between 1/4 and 1/3 or so with hot water and then all the washed jars there is room for.. placed in upside down. The cleaned rings are scattered on top of the jars. There is also room for the 'lid caddy' that holds a dozen washed jar lids at a time upright and separate from one another, the magnetic "lid wand", my dipping ladle and a silicone spatula. I begin the temp. at around 350* then turn down to 200* when simmering begins.

Simple and everything in one place. If I stop to go to the store or for lunch between batches, I turn everything off and reheat again later as needed. Remember to add 3-4 TBSP. vinegar to the water just as you should do with BWB, if you have hard water, as I do. That'll keep water solids from depositing on your canning jars etc.,

Crystal

P.S. for falsedawn, afeisty1 and others who use the oven to keep jars warm: My oven is not allowed on when I'm canning. Too many hot flashes happening around here to have hot steam coming at my face to allow radiating heat on my legs too! That'd be enough inflammation to start a war! LOL Hubby either cooks out on the grill, or runs down for take-out or pizza... one of the perks for my efforts.

valleyrimgirl - Everything I have ever read, including BBB and USDA, says to keep the water level 1-2 inches above the tops of the jars. Water conducts heat much more efficiently than air or steam does, therefore I think the jars have to be submerged to be properly processed.

Ann

Ann, everyone I know who cans, uses this method. It may not be 'correct' according to the experts but it is the method that works. The canner's lid is on and the steam is the same temperature as the water (212F) thus sterilizing the lid.

BTW, I have never have a problem with water getting into the jar or product seeping out (see Seepage During BWB Processing thread) of the jar but I would if I covered an unsealed jar with water.

Brenda

Leaving the water below the tops of the jars is not the method recommended by USDA or BBB. As I said above, I believe the reason is that the steam will not conduct heat as well as water, therefore you will not have an even heating of the contents of the jar. You will not have problems with liquid seeping in or out of the jar if you have the proper headspace.

You can continue to do what you wish, however it seems to me that we should not recommend unapproved methods to people who are relatively new to canning, as the original poster appears to be. I myself have only been doing this for a few years and I will say that I very much appreciate the people who take the time to be sure that the correct, approved recommendations are put forward for readers of this forum.

Ann

I tried the dishwasher method once, but had trouble with the timing, so I went back to heating the jars in the canner on the stove while I'm cooking whatever I'm canning. I put the lids in simmering water about 10-15 min. before I'm ready to pack the jars. I'll have to give the oven method a try. I always have at least an inch of water covering the jars in the canner and have never had a problem with water leaking into the jars or product leaking out into the water. Usually, all the jars ping within 5-10 minutes of being removed from the BWB anyway.