• Prep Time:
  • Cooking Time:
  • Serves: 1 Guide

Jars and Lids

  • Recipe Submitted by on

Category: Canning

 Ingredients List

  • Food may be canned in glass jars or metal containers. Metal containers can
  • be used only once. They require special sealing equipment and are much more
  • costly than jars.
  • Regular and wide-mouth Mason-type, threaded, home-canning jars with
  • self-sealing lids are the best choice (Plate 1). They are available in 1/2
  • pint, pint, 1-1/2 pint, quart, and 1/2 gallon sizes. The standard jar mouth
  • opening is about 2-3/8 inches. Wide-mouth jars have openings of about 3
  • inches, making them more easily filled and emptied. Half-gallon jars may
  • be used for canning very acid juices. Regular-mouth decorator jelly jars
  • are available in 8 and 12 ounce sizes. With careful use and handling, Mason
  • jars may be reused many times, requiring only new lids each time. When jars
  • and lids are used properly, jar seals and vacuums are excellent and jar
  • breakage is rare.
  • Most commercial pint- and quart-size mayonnaise or salad dressing jars may
  • be used with new two-piece lids for canning acid foods. However, you should
  • expect more seal failures and jar breakage. These jars have a narrower
  • sealing surface and are tempered less than Mason jars, and may be weakened
  • by repeated contact with metal spoons or knives used in dispensing
  • mayonnaise or salad dressing. Seemingly insignificant scratches in glass
  • may cause cracking and breakage while processing jars in a canner.
  • Mayonnaise-type jars are not recommended for use with foods to be processed
  • in a pressure canner because of excessive jar breakage. Other commercial
  • jars with mouths that cannot be sealed with two-piece canning lids are not
  • recommended for use in canning any food at home.
  • JAR CLEANING: Before every use, wash empty jars in hot water with detergent
  • and rinse well by hand, or wash in a dishwasher. Unrinsed detergents may
  • cause unnatural flavors and colors. These washing methods do not sterilize
  • jars. Scale or hard-water films on jars are easily removed by soaking jars
  • several hours in a solution containing 1 cup of vinegar (5 percent acidity)
  • per gallon of water.
  • STERILIZATION OF EMPTY JARS: All jams, jellies, and pickled products
  • processed less than 10 minutes should be filled into sterile empty jars. To
  • sterilize empty jars, put them right side up on the rack in a boiling-water
  • canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch
  • above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000
  • ft. At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional
  • 1,000 ft. elevation. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time.
  • Save the hot water for processing filled jars. Fill jars with food, add
  • lids, and tighten screw bands.
  • Empty jars used for vegetables, meats, and fruits to be processed in a
  • pressure canner need not be presterilized. It is also unnecessary to
  • presterilize jars for fruits, tomatoes, and pickled or fermented foods that
  • will be processed 10 minutes or longer in a boiling-water canner.
  • LID SELECTION, PREPARATION, AND USE: The common self-sealing lid consists
  • of a flat metal lid held in place by a metal screw band during processing.
  • The flat lid is crimped around its bottom edge to form a trough, which is
  • filled with a colored gasket compound. When jars are processed, the lid
  • gasket softens and flows slightly to cover the jar-sealing surface, yet
  • allows air to escape from the jar. The gasket then forms an airtight seal
  • as the jar cools. Gaskets in unused lids work well for at least 5 years
  • from date of manufacture. The gasket compound in older unused lids may fail
  • to seal on jars.
  • Buy only the quantity of lids you will use in a year To ensure a good seal,
  • carefully follow the manufacturer's directions in preparing lids for use.
  • Examine all metal lids carefully. Do not use old, dented, or deformed lids,
  • or lids with gaps or other defects in the sealing gasket.
  • After filling jars with food, release air bubbles by inserting a flat
  • plastic (not metal) spatula between the food and the jar. Slowly turn the
  • jar and move the spatula up and down to allow air bubbles to escape. Adjust
  • the headspace and then clean the jar rim (sealing surface) with a dampened
  • paper towel. Place the lid, gasket down, onto the cleaned jar-sealing
  • surface. Uncleaned jar-sealing surfaces may cause seal failures.
  • Then fit the metal screw band over the flat lid. Follow the manufacturer's
  • guidelines enclosed with or on the box for tightening the jar lids
  • properly.
  • Do not retighten lids after processing jars. As jars cool, the contents in
  • the jar contract, pulling the self-sealing lid firmly against the jar to
  • form a high vacuum.
  • * If rings are too loose, liquid may escape from jars during processing,
  • and seals may fail.
  • * If rings are too tight, air cannot vent during processing, and food will
  • discolor during storage. Overtightening also may cause lids to buckle and
  • jars to break, especially with raw-packed, pressure-processed food.
  • Screw bands are not needed on stored jars. They can be removed easily after
  • jars are cooled. When removed, washed, dried, and stored in a dry area,
  • screw bands may be used many times. If left on stored jars, they become
  • difficult to remove, often rust, and may not work properly again.
  • ======================================================= === * USDA
  • Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 (rev. 1994) MM by km
  • From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

 Directions



Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Jasmine Rice
Categories: None
Yield: 4 Servings

2 c Jasmine rice; or other
-longgrain white rice
3 c Cold water

Rinse and drain rice in cold water to remove starch and impurities. Place
drained rice and the cold water in a heavy saucepan. Bring the water to a
rolling boil, uncovered, over high heat. Stir, reduce the heat to low,
cover the pan tightly, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the covered pan from
the heat and let stand 10 minutes without removing the lid. Remove the lid
and fluff the rice gently with a fork or rice paddle. Serve warm.

 Share this Recipe

Recipes by Course

Recipes by Main Ingredient

Recipes by Cuisine

Recipes by Preparation

Recipes by Occasion

Recipes by Dietary

Sign Up and Create a Cookbook Today!

Please Sign in to your Account or Sign up if you are new user.

Who loves our Healthy Recipes?