twist off lids

[bookwormom]

does anyone use jars that have twist off lids that things like applesauce, pickles and spaghetty sauce come in?
when we lived in Europe I learned to use them and have done it for many years (like 23 or so). I never had a problem, the trick is to fill them to the brim and put on sterilized lids, then turn the jar upside down. Jelly never ever spoiled that way, neither did any of the fruits I canned that way. things that need pressurizing I freeze. I canned a lot of huckleberries and plums, since I had loads of them, cherries, currants and gooseberries and the like. also beets, never had enough tomatoes to can.

[Shamrock1121]

does anyone use jars that have twist off lids that things like applesauce, pickles *and spaghetty sauce come in?
when we lived in Europe I learned to use them and have done it for many years (like 23 or so). *I never had a problem, *the trick is to fill them to the brim and put on sterilized lids, then *turn the jar upside down. *Jelly never ever spoiled that way, neither did any of the fruits I canned that way. things that need pressurizing I freeze. *I canned a lot of huckleberries and plums, since I had loads of them, cherries, currants and gooseberries and the like. also beets, never had enough tomatoes to can. *


These are no longer considered a safe method of canning. Here's some information for you.

...."NEVER invert jars of preserves after filling!

Turning jars of jams, jellies and other kinds of preserves upside-down after filling, known as the "open kettle method," is an old-fashioned and outdated method of canning that was thought to seal jars by using the hot preserves to create a vacuum inside the jar.

In actuality, it can cause preserves to seep between the lid and rim of the jar, which prevents a tight seal and leaves gaps that can allow air and bacteria to enter the jar."

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not approve of this unsafe method of sealing jars of home-canned foods.

Even though jars may be sterilized before filling, inverting the filled jars does not kill bacteria that may still be present. Any preserves sealed in jars that were turned upside-down instead of processed in a water bath, may harbor dangerous Clostridium botulinum bacteria and eating these preserves could result in food poisoning." (end of information)

It might be a good idea to contact your local County Extension Office for updated information concerning your out-dated canning methods.

Unsafe canning methods aren't unusual. You just need one jar of food with bacterial growth to make you realize using new methods, as well as tested recipes, could have been a better method. It's an area of food preservation that has changed considerably in the last 20 years, due to a lot of research and testing.

I'm amazed there are people who still use open-kettle canning methods. Other dangerous methods people use are done in a conventional oven (baked cakes in a jar come to mind), microwave oven canning, dishwasher canning, slow cooker canning, and steam canners. All these methods could result in spoilage of food or the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Just because a jar is sealed, doesn't make it safe to eat. If you don't heat process foods enough to penetrate the entire contents of the jar, even a sealed jar can still contain bacteria. Microorganisms can be divided into two groups: spoilage microorganisms and pathogens. Spoilage microorganisms will cause unpleasant odors, appearance and tastes. these organisms seldom cause illness, but undo all your hard work and effort to can foods. Pathogens cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled. However, pathogens will cause some form of illness when ingested - even death. C. botulinum, for instance, will only grow in the absense of air. A sealed jar is a good environment for that bacteria to grow if the jar has not been heat processed properly. Other pathogens are, Salmonella, and E. coli O157:H7.

People take food safety chances everyday, while canning - usually because they don't know better and/or using old recipes and methods.

1. using burpless cucumbers
2. using low-acid tomatoes
3. using end of the season tomatoes picked from dead vines (which makes the tomatoes low-acid)
4. under-processing foods in a water bath because they don't know their altitude
5. using windfall fruit which has bacteria on it from being in contact with the ground
6. using incorrect headspace in jars - too little headspace and jars won't seal correctly, and each type of food requires a different amount of headspace
7. using improper equipment - you need to test your pressure canner yearly to see if it will achieve pressure between 10-15 PSI, and test it if you drop it
8. not knowing timing is started in a water bath canner when water RETURNS to boiling AFTER jars are added
9. using old or used lids
10. using unacceptable jars
11. altering ingredients or amounts of ingredients in a recipe, thus altering the pH of the foods
12. using a salt substitute, or a no-calorie sweetener
13. interchanging liquid pectin with powdered pectin
14. smoking or eating while canning - creating a hand to mouth transfer of bacteria
15. failure to add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes to increase their acidity to a safe level for hot bath canning
16. failure to sterilize jars, funnel and lids
17. failure to wash produce under running water
18. doubling recipes - a dangerous practice
19. failure to have the water in a hot bath canner at least 2-inches deeper than jar top
20. using untested recipes - the only commercial book that uses the recommendations from the USDA is the Ball Blue Book - just make sure to use copies that are from 1995 or newer.

-Karen

[Penny_Plinker]

Bookwormom

If worse came to worse people would be happy to get those lids. I use them. Not because i have to, because i have plenty of jars. I just like to use them because i can use them and also because some of those little jars are very pretty. They are very nice jars for putting jam in. Pickles and relish, too. The way i see it, those jars are commercial quality, probably last about 10 times longer than the two piece lids. A sealed jar is a sealed jar, whether the lid is one piece of two piece.

Penny

[bookwormom]

right penny.
actually I was waiting to get a response telling me how wrong I am.
According to the literature canning should be getting better and better. How did they ever manage in the old days?. How many people get killed a year by faulty canning? who eats the food if a jar does not seal properly anyway? (if in doubt throw it out). How come the experience of those who are doing does not count for anything? I have done it for over 20 years, in those 20 years I had less failure than I did in the two years I have been canning with mason jars. I get the impression the new jars are not very strong, I have some old ones and new ones and there is a difference. (even had the bottom of one break out last week)The olive, pickles, etc jars seem to be sturdier too. and you are supposed to fill those twist off lidded jars to the very top. We rented an old house with some acreage when our kids were kids and there were 36 fruit trees on the place, plus berry bushes and the woods were full of huckleberries. I canned a lot in those years in those jars and asked people to save them for me. When a lid looked bad I threw the jar away, however, it was possible to buy replacement lids in a certain size. I am sure I filled at least a couple hundred of them every season, multiply that by 15 years and you have 3000 jars with a very low failure rate.
I must say though I did not can things like beans or corn or mushrooms.
the part about using liquid versus powdered pectin really perlexes me. I used to make apple and quince jelly without any pectin at all. (now I have neither)

My pressue canner once exploded. the petcock started jiggling, but I was just about to change my babies diaper, so I finished her, if I had not she would be a motherless orphan by now, (Sears replaced it). I bought a Presto Canner two years ago, it is made in China,I can not tighten the lid on it, I do not trust it, and I just use it for hotwater bath. Of course I still do not use it for canning beans, If I put green beans in jars it is in the form of beansalad, with vinegar. I am drying shuck beans at this writing.
Utter cleanliness is to be expected, no bones about that, sterilize things.
I did get food poisoning once, and it was not from eating something that I canned but that I ate in a restaurant.

[Penny_Plinker]

Don't worry, BWM, i wouldn't call you wrong, expecially since you've been canning in them for 20 years! Experience does count for a lot, that's why i still ask my MIL lot of questions, she's been doing it a long time too. Actually, i'm plenty old enough to have been canning a long time but only got serious about it in the last couple of years.

Well it sounds like you had a great time living in that old farm house with the kids and all those fruit trees. It is amazing the amount of food can be gotten from well managed small acreage. If the time is taken to preserve it can save a bundle if there's kids to feed, which sounds like you did just that.

My least favorite jar is the old Ball Mason that is square . One of those broke right in the bottom, i blame it on the shape, also they are hard to clean the corners.

Those replacement lids, you said you could buy...were they perhaps #63? MIL gave me some new in the box that she had stashed...first i ever saw. They are smaller than a normal smallmouth jar lid.

Penny

[Penny_Plinker]

BWM, did you try to contact Presto about your canner lid not tightening? Personally, i never had good luck with their customer service, but here is a number for the Presto company: 1- 800 877 0441.

Penny