Canning question

[AnnCon]

Can I reuse jars that have screw type lids to can jelly in....these are not ball canning jars, but jars that once held some condiments. I was going to fill them and put them in a water bath but want to make sure that will work.

[VictoriaL]

The official answer that I have seen on many sites and in print is that, no, they should be true "canning jars".

That being said, my Mom and my Grandmother, and I have often used non-canning jars to can using the water bath method. Just be certain that they are not scratched or chipped (that can weaken the glass), and that you pour hot food into the heated jars, top with sterilized lids and rings, then place immediately into the hot water.

Good luck.

[Beth]

My mother and grandmother reused jars, but they also did the open kettle method and we threw away a lot of spoiled jam.

I started canning using the boiling water bath and found it so much easier and nearly perfect in terms of having jars seal and not having spoilage for at least a year. Once you buy the jars, you can reuse them, but not the flat part of the lid. Those can be purchased separately. If your co-workers like what you give them, tell the to recycle by return the empty jar and you can refill it next year.

You may be able to use some other jars, but you could have the jars not seal properly, have water leak in during the bath or air after, causing spoilage. Perhaps others will chime in with success stories, but for me, it's just not worth risking wasting good ingredients or your time when you are making something special.

[AnnCon]

So since I did put some of the jam in other jars, can I empty it in a pot, heat it and put it in hot sterilized jam jars of the Ball type now?

[mrswaz]

I would think that if you've already used the old jars, and they appear to have sealed correctly, just use them- but use them first before other jars you may have.

The biggest problem with using those jars is that the glass is not tempered the same way that canning jars are. Jars for home canning are tempered to withstand years of high heat boiling and canning. The ones that you buy sauces in at the store are tempered for a one-time use, so they are prone to breaking while home canning.

[VictoriaL]

So since I did put some of the jam in other jars, can I empty it in a pot, heat it and put it in hot sterilized jam jars of the Ball type now?

A week or so ago I opened a former mustard jar in which my Mom had canned peach jam in '09 and it is fine. I have never, in over 30 years, had a spoilage problem with reusing commercial jars for spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, hot peppers, jam, etc. Just as I said in an earlier post, make sure that they are not scratched or chipped.

[Beth]

If they are well sealed (you can tell they created a vacuum seal), I don't think I'd redo them -- you have to heat to a boil and cook at least a minute and then reprocess, so you lose some quality. I would use them first. If you aren't sure they sealed well, you could store them in the fridge.

You can open jars that didn't seal or that didn't set and reheat them. On the seal, if it's just one or two, I'd keep those in the fridge and use them first. When an entire batch doesn't set (it can happen with something like pepper jelly where you add pectin and cook x minutes), I have done it, but I would give the batch at least a day or up to a week to see if it doesn't set up, just more slowly. That can happen too, and if you reheated and processed, you could have hockey puck jam. Yeah, I did that once too.

[patt]

Whether or not you want to put preserves up in non-canning jars depends on how you feel about botulism. Me, personally, I'm not comfortable with the thought.

Patt

[Beth]

The only spoilage problem I've had with processed jars is one particular tomato sauce recipe that keeps for a year regardless of the jars used. I do think breakage of chipped edges are the biggest risk with reusing jars that were not intended for reuse, but losing a jar or two of whatever I made to the canning pot water is as bad as losing it tot he trash can.

[AnnCon]

Ok I'll be using regular canning jars from now on! I only used 2 small jars that weren't canning jars this time, so I'll just eat those up first. Thanks for all your feedback.