Lids for preservation

Screw-on lids are a paradise for the housewife who has despaired of handling the seaming machine when canning with simple lids with an insertable rubber band.

Seaming machines often break down and then do not close at all or are unable to crimp the lid and attach it to the glass of the jar very tightly. If the jar is not closed tightly, the products will deteriorate. And this is so offensive! So much work in a hot, stuffy kitchen, so many products, and suddenly it turns out that the jars are swollen (that is, the lids on them) or have completely fallen off.

Therefore, in order not to be unnecessarily upset, you need to either buy a reliable seaming machine for lids, or switch to twist-off screw caps.

Jars with a screw neck, closed with twist-off lids - the most common container in which we buy mushrooms, jam, compotes, canned tomatoes, lecho, gherkins, ketchups in glass jars, mussels, some types of cheese, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, juices and baby food. Twist-off technology is used both for capping medicines and for beer caps.

Twist-off caps come in different sizes

How the screw cap works

The hot lid, heated over steam or in hot water at a temperature of no more than 60 C, is screwed on and fits tightly to the glass of the jar.

The polymer coating on the inside of the lid, which acts as a gasket (sealant), softens in heat and allows you to close the jar with the lid as tightly as possible, without gaps. As it cools, the top of the lid is pulled inward (a slight click is heard) and a dry vacuum effect is created inside the jar.

Rules for using twist-off caps

Do not tighten more than the thread allows, do not overtighten. Otherwise, you will break the lid.

You need to install the cover, getting into the thread, and screw it on these rails. Otherwise, cracks will form and mold may appear in canned food.

Close canned food with a lid immediately after filling the jars.

Do not overfill jars. The jars should be filled with contents as much as possible, but not reach 1 cm from the edge of the jar.

How to Store Screw-Lid Jars

Most canned foods can be stored with screw-on lids in a warm (but not hot), dry, and well-ventilated area. Do not expose canned food to sudden temperature fluctuations to avoid condensation.

However, if you can preserve jam with a small amount of sugar or compotes without sugar, or make other preparations that require more careful storage, they should be stored at lower temperatures (in the refrigerator or in the basement).

Before storing jars, jars with hot contents must be cooled to room temperature and checked for leaks (turn the jar upside down and see if the rim of the lid is wet).

The shelf life of canned food in screw-necked jars closed with screw lids is 6 months or more.

Lifespan of screw caps

Twistable, screw-on lids - reusable. If you handle them carefully and do not clean off the varnish and the polymer inner layer of the lid with a hard sponge, the lid will last 4-5 years.

If the cover is rusty, it is not suitable for further use.

How to tell if canned food with a screw cap is edible

When the can is first opened, a loud pop is heard - this means that the canned food has not fermented or swelled.

If you notice that the lid on the jar is swollen, the canned food is spoiled, it is poison, you cannot eat it.

How to open the lid

Screw caps can be opened by applying force and turning it in the opposite direction, or you can use a special opener for twist-off caps (they are sold in all hardware stores with a large assortment of products).

Which way to turn the lid

To close the screw cap, you need to twist it clockwise. To open, you need to unscrew the cap counterclockwise.

The lid does not open - what to do?

If the lid does not want to unscrew or you do not have enough strength, you should first try to cover the lid with a cloth or towel (so that your hands do not slip) and turn the lid.

If the technique is unsuccessful and the jar is still tightly closed, you need to take a burning match and slightly heat the lid from below with a flame (under the rim, around the jar). Just 1 match is enough, it’s quick, you won’t even burn your fingers. The lid will expand when heated and open (well, not by itself, of course, turn the heated lid).

Different types of lids: plastic (including nylon, translucent), plastic drain lid (with holes) and twist-off lids

Is it possible to replace simple canning lids with screw-on lids?

Yes, you can preserve all types of salads, compotes, cucumbers, tomatoes or mushrooms in marinade under screw caps. That is, use them to tighten all the workpieces that were previously rolled up with simple tin lids.

Twist-off lids come in different sizes internal coating(more or less resistant to chemical influences). And if you have a very acidic product in the jar (sour fruit compote, sour juice or marinade), then you better take the lids with a generous layer of varnish to protect the lid from interacting with acids.

Plain iron, plastic and twist caps

In addition, jams and preserves can also be covered with plastic - nylon covers, placing a circle of white paper soaked in vodka or alcohol under the lid (on top of the jam). The paper soaked in alcohol will collect mold on itself (if it suddenly appears) and you can throw away the damaged paper by placing a new piece of paper on the jam.

How to properly sterilize jars is a question that does not arise for experienced food preparers for the winter. But those whose jars have already exploded or whose canned products have spoiled usually have a lot of questions. It's a shame to waste time and money and end up with a spoiled mood.

7 ways to sterilize canning jars:

Where to start preparing winter supplies?

• It is advisable that the kitchen be kept perfectly clean. It is better to wear a headscarf over your hair, a clean apron for yourself, and it is better to remove nail polish too. We take the cleanest towels and iron them with a very hot iron.
• We inspect the lids for the jars. Painted covers should be inspected for rust and chips in the paint. Otherwise, in case of corrosion, your workpieces will be damaged. If the lids have elastic bands, then pay attention to whether the elastic band is elastic enough. It happens that from old age the elastic band becomes brittle and does not bend. We also check whether it can be easily inserted into the lid, that is, we pay attention to the size.
• We check jars or bottles for nicks, chips or cracks. We pay special attention to the neck. Next, we pour water, put on the lid and turn it upside down, as well as shake and tilt the jar in different directions, see if there are any leaks.

Next, you need to thoroughly wash the jars and lids and rinse them thoroughly. It is better if you use baking soda or mustard powder as a cleaning agent. It is better to take a new sponge - since the old sponge may contain microbes.

And also, the dishes will be very hot after sterilization. And in order to remove it you need special devices:

• It is very convenient to do this with special forceps.

• Or a special silicone glove

• As a last resort, use a clean, sterile towel.

Sterilized containers should be placed upside down on a clean, ironed towel. It is better, of course, to put the canned product in jars right away. But if for some reason the preservation is delayed, or you have a lot of jars and you will simply get very tired if you sterilize everything at once. Then you can leave the jars in this position for 24 hours.

1. How to sterilize jars with steam at home

Here you can use several methods. In any case, pour cold water to prevent the jars from bursting!

• Place the jar directly on a pan or ladle of water - this method is suitable if there are few jars and there is a suitable container for the jar.

• Above the pan, but you need to have a wire rack in your household - on which you can place jars. You can use the so-called screen, which is placed on the frying pan during frying to prevent fat from splashing out. But in the case of a screen, the sterilization time increases, since it passes steam less well.

By the way, there are special lids on sale for pans for sterilizing steamed jars.

You can put the lids in the same pan to sterilize. For the lids, 10 minutes in boiling water will be enough. And you can get them out with a sterile fork or tongs.

How long do you need to sterilize jars by steaming?

0.5 liter jar - 7-10 minutes

1 liter – 10-15 minutes

1.5 liters – 15-20 minutes

2 liters – 20-25

3 liters – 25-30

2. Sterilizing jars in the oven

This method is praised by all housewives, the only negative is the inability to use a gas oven. Because the oven must not be overheated, otherwise the jars may burst.

But an electric one is quite suitable. Place the jars bottom up in a cold oven. You can also put lids without rubber bands here. (The rubber bands need to be boiled separately for a couple of minutes, or treated with potassium permanganate) But the oven must have a temperature control function, which we set to 100-120 degrees and leave to sterilize for 15 minutes.

3. How to sterilize jars in the microwave

Pour water into the jar, about 2 centimeters. And we set the power to 800-900 watts and leave the cans there for 3 minutes. The water will boil, and the jars will be sterilized in this way. If your container is tall, then pour water into it and place it in the microwave on its side.

Some housewives believe that this is a bad method and the germs will not be removed. But in fact, dishes are sterilized not by a microwave oven, but by hot steam. And reviews on the Internet about such sterilization are positive.

4. Sterilizing canning jars in a dishwasher

This is the most convenient way. There is no need to put in a washing tablet. But you must wash the container before sterilization!

Set the hot water mode to 60-70 degrees, do not set it there anymore. And therefore, for all its convenience, this method is not the most reliable, the temperature is too low. But people on the Internet write that everything is fine with this method, the blanks are stored normally and no one’s jars exploded. So you can try it at least as an experiment.

5. In a convection oven

Happy owners of an air fryer are simply delighted with this method. And they don’t even want to hear about other ways to sterilize empty canning jars.

First, you need to remove all parts from the air fryer except the bottom mesh. Arrange the jars so that they do not touch and turn on the sterilization mode at 120-150 °C. Process large jars for 10-20 minutes, and small ones for 5-7.

In exactly the same way, you can sterilize jars with blanks in an air fryer. Read below how to fill containers for processing in this way.

6. In boiling water

This method is used for already filled jars - for rolling or screwing with screw caps.

You need to take the fabric, put it on the bottom of the pan and also lay the fabric between the jars.

The blanks must be placed so that a little flows out during sterilization. This is to ensure that there is no air in the container, and a hermetically sealed product, as we know, is stored much better.

Pour water up to the hangers of the cans. The temperature of the water depends on the temperature of the contents of the jars. If the workpiece is cold, then the water should also be cold and vice versa. Place the lids on top of the jars without screwing them on.

We sterilize for 15-20 minutes, if the jar is liter, the procedure time is the same as for steam sterilization. We take it out and screw the lids on. And place the jars upside down until they cool completely. At the same time, it will be possible to make sure that the containers do not leak and you can put them away for storage with a light heart.

7. How to sterilize jars for preparations with potassium permanganate

In the same way - as before any other sterilization, the container must be thoroughly rinsed with soda. Make a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate and thoroughly rinse the container for the preparations.

That's all, good luck preparing for the winter!

The conservation process is quite labor-intensive and requires careful preparation, so every housewife should know the main points. Let's start with preparation, namely how to sterilize lids for sealing, heat treat glass jars, why this is needed and how each stage occurs. We will look at the main methods of sterilizing components for canning.

Preparing for sterilization

So, first, let's make sure that we have everything we need at hand. We are talking about jars, lids, a seaming key and a large saucepan.

Don’t forget about tongs, because when boiling, high temperatures are used and you won’t be able to pick up the jar or lid with your bare hands!

Sterilization in simple words is a heat treatment that disinfects and cleans the surface of lids and jars from microorganisms. The need for the process is to eliminate the possibility of fermentation, which can lead to spoilage of the preserved product. Everything is simple with jars - you need to check them for chips and cracks, and then wash them thoroughly. As for the lids, you should be careful; the products must have the correct, that is, even shape without damage or bends.

“Do seaming lids need to be sterilized?” – this question is often asked by many housewives. If you have a similar thought, this is already good, and here is the answer - this is a mandatory norm. Remember that the result depends on proper preparation. The purpose of this article is to help you achieve maximum quality in conservation.

If rust or dirt is noticeable on the lids, the paintwork on the inside is defective, or the surface is damaged by bending, then such a component cannot be used for preservation!

How to sterilize seaming lids?

One of the simplest ways can be thermal cleaning in a double boiler. Here you can simultaneously sterilize both jars and lids for preservation. To do this, you need to thoroughly wash the jars and place them in the device. In cooking mode, set the time to 15-20 minutes. At the same time, you can immediately place lids there, the main thing is not to cover the neck of the jars so that the heat treatment process takes place inside the glass container.

Features of the method:

• simple, fast, saves your energy;
• there will be no heat in the kitchen;
• Suitable only for those who have a double boiler;
• A device with a large volume is required to sterilize several jars at the same time.

We recommend sterilizing jars and lids synchronously, that is, at the same time, since sudden temperature changes can affect the result. Agree, it will be extremely unpleasant if the hot neck of the jar cracks due to the cold lid. The same temperature of the preservation components guarantees safe seaming, without any risk of damage.

How to sterilize sealing lids with rubber bands?

One option is steam sterilization; it is optimal for lids with a rubber gasket. It’s worth remembering here that the rubber part must receive a sufficient amount of steam, therefore, you need to install the lid so that the steam hits the underside of the lid.

There is a point that should also be remembered - you should not remove the rubber band from the lid during heat treatment. The whole point is that it will be difficult to insert the rubber part in a heated state, despite the fact that the lid itself will also heat up.

How to sterilize screw sealing caps?

Undoubtedly, sterilization alone is not enough, and even if the lid is screwed on and not rolled up with a key, heat treatment is also necessary here. Microbes should not get into the container with preservation, so do not forget about sterilizing the screw caps.

A sure and reliable way is to boil it in hot water. The action is performed immediately before rolling the lid. It is worth remembering how many minutes to boil the lids for seaming, as a rule - from 10 to 15 minutes will be enough.

In general, the process of heat treatment of jars and lids for preservation is mandatory. By carrying out sterilization, you guarantee the quality of the result - the absence of contamination, cloudiness, and swelling of the lids due to fermentation.

The methods are different, but they give the same result. If it is steam, then pay attention to the position of the jar or lid; perform all manipulations with hot objects using special tongs; in the case of heating in water, remember how long to boil the lids before sealing. Sterilization is a mandatory process, but an individual one. Sometimes pasteurization of jars and lids can be combined, but in some cases this is simply unacceptable.

Five ways to sterilize lids and canning jars - video

Good day to you, dear readers!!

Homemade preparations for the winter - preserves, jams, and eggplant caviar, pickled cucumbers and tomatoes, pickles - we most often store all this in glass jars. Compotes and juices are in glass bottles. And before you start canning, all containers must be thoroughly disinfected.

There are many ways to sterilize jars. I have chosen several of the easiest methods that can be performed at home quickly and easily.

• Carefully check the glass container for chips, nicks, and cracks. It is better not to use imperfect jars and bottles for preservation.
• New lids are needed for preservation. After all, we will be offended that our work in summer and autumn simply did not survive until winter due to poor-quality lids. Therefore, it is better not to skimp and buy new covers.
• When purchasing, we check the lids for quality. Screw caps must not be bent or scratched. Lids with rubber bands should also be perfect with rubber bands inserted.
• We put chemicals for cleaning jars aside. They are difficult to wash off and are harmful to our health. Wash lids and jars with soda + mustard or laundry soap. We also use a new sponge for washing dishes.

Today in the article:

How to properly sterilize jars in the microwave

With this method, the lids are boiled separately in a saucepan.

1. Wash jars and lids with mustard and soda. Wipe with a clean towel.
2. Set the lids to boil separately on the fire for 5-7 minutes.
3. We fill the jars with clean water 1-1.5 cm from the bottom.
4. Place the jars in the microwave for 4-5 minutes at a power of 700-800 W. The water in the jars boils and steam sterilization occurs.

How to properly sterilize jars in the oven

One of my favorite ways. It's probably the simplest. You can sterilize jars along with their lids.
But it is worth noting that with this method you must have an electric oven with a thermometer. And lids for sterilization are suitable that can be screwed on.
For lids with rubber bands, the rubber band may dry out and burst or melt. Such lids must be boiled separately in water.

1. Preheat the oven to 100-120 degrees Celsius.
2. Wash the jars and lids well and place on a wire rack. You don't have to wipe the jars. Place dry jars with the neck down. We place the wet jars with their necks up so that all the water evaporates.
3. Leave in the oven for 15 minutes. This time is for cans with a capacity of no more than 700 g. For three-liter jars, more time is required - 20-25 minutes.

How to properly sterilize steam jars

This is also a convenient way to sterilize containers when you only need 1-2 jars. It’s also convenient because you put the lids in the pan and place a sieve or colander on top, on which the jars are sterilized. But I’ll start talking about this method in order.

1. Take a pan. The size of the pan depends on how many jars you will sterilize on it. The larger the volume of the pan, the more cans it will fit. Pour water into it and put it on the fire until the water boils.

2. Wash jars and lids thoroughly. Place the lids in this pan and boil along with the jars.

3. When the water boils, place a sieve or steel colander on top. Place the jars on the sieve, neck down.

4. Boil jars like this: up to 700 grams - 6-8 minutes, liter and two-liter jars - 10-15 minutes, three liters and more - 20-25 minutes.

5. The jars were well sterilized when large drops of water appeared on them from the steam. Remove the jars and place them upside down on a clean towel to drain.

How to properly sterilize jars in water

Perhaps the easiest way to sterilize canning jars.

1. We wash jars and lids with laundry soap.
2. Pour clean water into a large saucepan or enamel bucket and place on fire.
3. Place the lids and jars in the pan.
4. Boil the jars for 6-7 minutes.
5. Carefully, so as not to get burned, take out the jars and lids and place them bottom down on a clean, ironed towel.

Video - how to properly sterilize jars with blanks

And below is another way to sterilize jars in the oven, but with blanks.

That's all the simplest ways to sterilize containers for preservation. Successful and delicious preparations for the winter!