The conservation period lasts from June to October, and during this time many housewives manage to acquire a couple of burns and a shock of gray hair. How to protect yourself from damage in the kitchen during sterilization of jars and spend less time on kitchen “entertainment” read below.

Why sterilize jars

Sterilization of jars plays an important role in the safety of the products stored in them:

• Firstly, steam sterilization kills the odors of food stored there before preservation;
• Secondly, sterilization kills germs in the dishes;
• Thirdly, sterilization contributes to longer storage of preservation due to practically sterile conditions;
• Fourthly, sterilization (when working with jars correctly and quickly) creates a vacuum inside the jar, preserving the freshness and quality of the products.

How to sterilize jars in a saucepan on the stove

One of the most common ways to sterilize jars is on the stove.

Make sure that the jars are thoroughly washed and not damaged (no chips, cracks, air bubbles, etc.), pour water to 1/3 of the height of the pan, and place the jars in it with their necks down.

Boil the jars for 15-20 minutes. 2-3 minutes before turning off, put the lids in the pan (preferably with a reserve) and boil them together for the remaining time. You cannot boil the lids for more than 2-3 minutes, as there is a risk of damage and deformation of the rubber sealing ring.

Dry the outside of the jars with paper napkins, immediately cover with lids and roll the preserves into them immediately after preparation, without waiting for the jars to cool.

How to sterilize jars in the oven

In order to sterilize jars in the oven, heat it to 100 degrees (at higher temperatures the jars may burst).

Place dry jars on the rack with their necks down, and recently washed or wet jars with their necks up. After 15-20 minutes of heating, the jars are sterilized.

Leave them to cool in the oven, after covering with sterilized lids.

How to sterilize jars in the microwave

To sterilize jars in a microwave oven, pour 40-50 ml of water into the bottom of each jar and set the timer for 3 minutes (for ovens with a power of 6000 to 8000 W - 5 minutes). When the water boils, it will release steam, which will sterilize the jars.

Immediately after sterilization, cover the jars with sterile lids and place the prepared preserves in them.

How to sterilize jars with blanks

If it happens that you forgot to sterilize the jars before placing preserves in them or are not sure about the quality of sterilization, there is a way to sterilize the jars along with the preparations inside. To do this, place a soft towel on the bottom of the pan. Place jars with blanks without lids on top of the towel and pour water to 1/3 of the height of the pan. Boil the contents of the pan for 10-15 minutes, then screw on the lids and turn the jars with the blanks upside down, placing them “upside down” on a dry and clean towel in a cool place.

The tradition of making homemade preparations for the winter by canning fruits and vegetables remains popular in many families. It allows you not only to enjoy the gifts of summer in winter, but also to save your family budget. In order to preserve summer in a jar, it is important to carry out two processes correctly: sterilization of glass jars and pasteurization of preparations.

How to sterilize jars for preparations?

Sterilization is the heat treatment of jars, which kills microbes. There are several ways to do this.

Traditional - steaming cans. Let's try to figure out how to sterilize steamed jars. Place a wire rack over a pan of boiling water. The jars, cleanly washed with baking soda or in mustard solution, are placed with their necks down on a wire rack. The pans are covered with a splash guard when frying. There are special pan covers for sterilizing one or more jars. Steam, penetrating inside the jar, kills all harmful microbes. Half-liter and liter jars are sterilized for 5-8 minutes, 3-liter jars for up to 15 minutes.

Instead of a pan, if you intend to cover 3-6 pcs. half-liter or liter jars, it is better to use a kettle. The jars can simply be placed on the spout of the kettle or placed on top of the electric kettle.

A well-sterilized jar becomes transparent and dry. They are removed from the grill and placed on a towel. Place washed vegetables or fruits in warm jars and add marinade and syrup according to the recipe. Cover with lids and simmer for 10 minutes. The main disadvantage of this method is that the steam in the kitchen can be humid and hot, and it takes a lot of time to prepare the jars.

The next method is Sterilizing glass jars in the oven. It is simpler and more convenient. Place the washed jars on the oven rack. Turn on the oven at 140 degrees and keep them at this temperature for 5-7 minutes. Then the oven is turned off, but the jars are not removed, but allowed to cool to 60-80 degrees along with the oven. The jars should not be placed tightly to each other; they cannot be placed on a sheet, otherwise they will burst. Sterilization occurs due to moisture in the jars and heating.

Dry method. One of the most ancient, but few people know about it. The question of how to prepare jars for blanks, saving gas or electricity, can be solved easily and simply with its help. Banks are washed in advance at any convenient time. Turn over onto clean cotton. the canvas, and when the water drains from them, and this is quite quickly, they are placed on a clean towel in the sunniest place of the loggia or a windowsill with their necks down. The ultraviolet rays of the sun will heat the air in the jar and kill all bacteria. Before putting preserved food into jars, they are simply rinsed with boiling water from a kettle to warm up the glass.

How to sterilize jars in the microwave? This is a very effective way to sterilize jars, it is the fastest and most comfortable. But be prepared to pay more for electricity than usual. The jars must not only be washed thoroughly, but also inspect for chips and cracks. This, of course, should always be done, but here with special attention. Empty jars cannot be placed; 1-2 cm of water is left in them. If you need dry jars, be sure to place a glass of water nearby. Heating time – 2 minutes. If you are placing several cans, increase the time to 3 minutes. Large jars are placed on their sides with a small amount of water. You can also pasteurize the products in the microwave. To do this, place vegetables in jars, pour half of the brine, cover with a plastic lid and leave for 2-3 minutes. Then top up with boiling pouring and cover with metal lids. Turn the jars upside down and leave until completely cool.

Summer will remind you of itself when you put its gifts on the dining table, opening a jar of your preserves in winter.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers

How to sterilize preparations in jars

Summer and autumn are the times when housewives actively replenish their stocks of all kinds of preparations: compotes, salads, pates, pickled vegetables and mushrooms, vegetable sets for preparing borscht. To prevent prepared foods from spoiling, they can be sterilized.

Sterilization is one of the ways to destroy microorganisms that contribute to spoilage of prepared products. You can sterilize both the jars themselves with lids and jars filled with blanks. Sterilizing full jars of ingredients is one of the good ways to keep prepared foods safe and sound for the winter.

You can sterilize the workpieces in a pan with water or in the oven. If you sterilize jars in water, then consider some nuances:

Place a cloth folded in 5-6 layers, a towel, a wooden grid or a special wooden circle on the bottom of the pan;

The temperature of the water you pour into the pan should match the temperature of the product in the jar. If the water is too hot or too cold, the jar may burst;

Fill jars with blanks no higher than the lower level of the “neck” of the jar;

The water in the pan should reach the “shoulders” of the jar;

Sterilize the workpieces by covering them with lids on top, but without twisting them. Thus, during sterilization, the lid itself is additionally sterilized;

After the water boils in the pan, reduce the heat. The water should not be allowed to boil violently. When water boils rapidly, there is a possibility that it may get into cans of preserved food;

If the recipe does not specifically indicate how long it takes to sterilize this particular product, then we sterilize the jars according to this scheme:

0.5 l - 10-15 minutes;

1 l - 20-25 minutes;

3 l - 30-35 minutes.

After sterilization, screw the jar tightly and turn it upside down. In some cases, the jar can additionally be wrapped in a blanket and left until completely cooled;

Leave the jars with the workpiece in sight for 2-3 days, and only after you are sure that everything is rolled up well, the lid does not allow air to pass through, and the workpiece feels normal, put the jars with twists into storage in a cool place.

How to sterilize workpieces step by step instructions with photos:

Step 1

To sterilize winter preparations in water, we will need a saucepan, a jar with a lid, a wooden wire rack, a kitchen towel and water.

Step 2

Place a wooden rack or a cloth folded several times or a towel on the bottom of the pan.

Step 4

Place the jars in a saucepan and fill it with water. The water should reach the “shoulders” of the jar.

The main stage in canning, perhaps, can be called sterilization of jars. Since without this stage our preparations simply will not be stored, we simply must know.

Let us immediately note that there are several ways to sterilize jars, and if only one is known in your family, improve your knowledge, maybe you will like our options better.

So, we select the required number of cans for our preparations. They must be without cracks or chips. Wash the jars well; you can use regular baking soda as a detergent.

How to sterilize empty jars?

First, we'll figure out how to sterilize empty jars. Here are the most popular methods.

How to sterilize jars by steaming

This method can be called the most “ancient”. Even our grandmothers sterilized jars for a couple. What will it take?

1. Take a pan of water and cover it with a net, splash screen or divider. Instead of these devices, you can find a saucepan attachment with recesses for 1 or several cans at once at a hardware store.
2. Place the jar upside down in the recess. Boil water in a saucepan. This way the steamed jars are sterilized. Instead of a saucepan, a kettle is also suitable, where instead of a lid we put our mesh or nozzle.
3. How long does it take to steam sterilize jars? Volumes of 0.5 and 0.75 are sterilized in 10 minutes, 1 liter – 15 minutes, 2 liters – 20 minutes, and 3 liters – 30 minutes. But many housewives do not adhere to the specified time frame and sterilize jars for no more than 15 minutes.

How to sterilize jars in the microwave

1. Pour 2 centimeters of water into 0.75 and 1 liter jars. If the volume is larger, accordingly, pour a little more water. We put the jars in the microwave, select the power 900-1000 W. We put the jars without lids! Sterilize the jars in the microwave for 5 minutes, the water should boil.
2. An important point is that there must be water in the jars, otherwise they will burst. 2 and 3 liter jars are sterilized on their sides, but water must be poured.

How to sterilize jars in the oven

This method has become the favorite of many housewives. In the oven you can sterilize jars of any size and in any quantity, as far as the oven allows. This method differs favorably from sterilization in the microwave in that the lids can also be sterilized.

1. Wash the jars and place them directly wet on a baking sheet or mesh upside down in the oven.
2. Heat the oven to 150 degrees, as soon as the oven warms up, sterilize the jars for the required time: 0.5 and 0.75 liters - 10 minutes, 1 liter - 15 minutes, 2 liters - 20 minutes, 3 liters - 25 minutes.

Along with the jars, you can also put wet lids on the grill, but only metal ones and without rubber inserts.

Sterilizing jars in a pan of water (boiling)

1. To sterilize jars in a pan of water, take a large saucepan and place jars filled with water filled up to the neck. We also pour water into the pan itself so that the jars stand up to their necks in water.
2. We bring the water to a boil and sterilize it in the same time as the previous method: 0.5 and 0.75 l - 10 minutes, 1 l - 15 minutes, 2 l - 20 minutes, 3 l - 25 minutes. You can also boil the lids along with the jars.

How to sterilize lids

Since you don’t want to bother with sterilization for a long time, many housewives strive to choose a method that how to sterilize jars and lids together.

1. Before sterilizing, carefully inspect the lids to ensure they are intact and without visible damage. The lids along with the jars are sterilized in the oven, in boiling water, and by steam (where the jar stands on a mesh and the lids are sterilized in boiling water).
2. The lids can be prepared separately - boiled in a small saucepan with water.
3. The sterilization time for the lids is 10 minutes. To avoid getting burned, remove hot lids with meat tongs.

Whatever method you choose to sterilize jars, be careful. It's easy to get burned by hot cans! Use kitchen towels or oven mitts. And now the jars can be filled with our preparations and closed with lids.

How to sterilize jars with blanks

Also, jars are sterilized directly with the preparations. Let's find out how to do this.

How to sterilize jars with preparations in boiling water

This method is the most common.

1. Place a towel on the bottom of a wide pan and place the jars with the ingredients on top.
2. Pour water into the pan at the same temperature as the workpieces themselves. If the water is cold or very hot, the jar will burst. The water should reach the hangers of the jars.
3. We cover the jars (do not roll them up!) with lids, bring the water to a boil and sterilize as much as indicated in the specific recipe. If the time is not specified, then usually 0.5 and 0.75 jars are sterilized for 10 minutes, 1 liter - 15 minutes, 2 liters - 20-25 minutes, and 3 liters - 30 minutes.

Don't forget that the jars are very hot!

How to sterilize jars with preparations in the oven

The same manipulations are carried out in the oven. Sterilizing jars in the oven is considered very convenient.

1. Place the jars with the preparations on a wire rack or baking sheet. The oven should be cold or slightly warm.
2. Place lids on top of the jars. Bring the oven to 120 degrees. We sterilize according to the recipe. Again, if the time is not indicated, then 0.5 liters are sterilized for 10 minutes, 0.75 for 15 minutes, 1 liter for 15-20 minutes.
3. We take out the jars with kitchen mittens and hold on to their sides.

Frequently asked questions about sterilization

Are jam jars sterilized? Do compote jars need to be sterilized?

All jars for preparations are sterilized! It is this procedure that guarantees that your preparations will safely reach the winter and will delight you with their taste. Thanks to the high temperature, the jars literally become sterile, hence the name of the procedure.

How to sterilize salad jars? How long does it take to sterilize jars of cucumbers?

Each recipe must indicate the time for sterilization of a specific workpiece. If it so happens that you forgot to indicate the time, pay attention to the methods of sterilizing jars with blanks just above. The time depends on the sterilization method and the volume of the jar itself.

How long does it take to sterilize jars?

If they are sterilized empty, then usually it is: 0.5 and 0.75 l - 10 minutes, 1 l - 15 minutes, 2 l - 20 minutes, 3 l - 25 minutes.

If the jars are already filled, then: 0.5 and 0.75 are sterilized for 10 minutes, 1 liter – 15 minutes, 2 liters – 20-25 minutes, and 3 liters – 30 minutes.

See the information above for more details.

At what temperature should jars be sterilized?

If water is used during sterilization, then the jars are sterilized precisely while it is boiling.

If the procedure is carried out in a microwave, choose a power of 900-1000 W. Set the oven to 150 degrees.

I hope we've covered this thoroughly enough. how to properly sterilize jars, if you have anything to add, we are waiting for you in the comments!